Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality
by sheshe21
Summary: What happens when I write about myself in the third person in Resident Evil 4 world? ABSOLUTE CHAOS! Basically my summary sucks but the story doesn't! This fic has humor, creepy parts, and action. And best of all, Chris and Claire joined in on the action.
1. Prolog:Kidnapped! That Sucks!

R**Authors Note: This story is about me getting stuck in the Resident Evil 4 reality. I will be writing from a third person view to try to make this a novelization of Resident Evil 4! The plot starts to change slowly till soon everything spins out of control! Buah!HAHAHAHAHAHAH! I haven't wrote a story for years so don't be surprised if I misspelled or something like that. Please Review!...And be gentle... This story will be rated T for VIOLENCE,BLOOD and GORE, and HORROR! HE!HAHAHAHAH!**

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality **

**Prolog: Kidnapped! That Sucks!**

" Oh no you don't! Take that moooooooeron!" Sheila crowed as she threw a grenade at the giant chainsaw maniac who tried to take off her character's head. The grenade was the final blow for the monster officially making her score 60,240! She kept blowing away Ganados until the helicopter picked her up, thus ending the Mercinary's game. She let out a shout of victory! She finally did it! Now she could get the hand-cannon!

"Now thats what I'm talking about!"

"Sheila! Go to Bed!" Sheila's parents yelled. She quieted down, a little mad at herself for waking them up. But she was just so excited that she actually did it! After solving the game a couple of times and solving Ada's adventures, she decided to give the mercenaries another try. Now she was glad she did! As she loaded "NEW GAME" the screen turned black.

"Hey! Don't mess up now, you-" she stopped when she saw Wesker staring right at her from the screen.

"What the?" Even though Wesker had his shades on, she could tell he looked a little surprised.

"Who are you and how did you patch into my computer? Nobody has ever jacked into this line." He said in a calm yet demanding voice. Sheila pinched herself, trying to wake herself up from this crazy dream. What struck her the strangest was that Wesker looked real and not like a video game character.

Wesker cocked his head and appeared to study her. His mouth was curved into a half smile. Leaning back, Wesker said in a confidant tone,"I believe I do know who you are. You're-"

Sheila unpluged her TV and turned off her Ps2 console. She trembled from shock. An evil game character actually spoke to her! Was she going crazy?

After five minutes of staring at the TV for something to happen, she decided to call it a night and go to sleep. Turning off the covers, she settled down to go to sleep, already blowing off the weird TV thing due to sleep deprivation. As she started to doze off, the TV flared to life,startling her from her rest. She looked at the plug, making sure the TV was still unplugged. Fear and curiosity drew her in as the whole room was bathed in a blinding white light. She heard electricity crackle every where; the room swirling faster and faster until she grew so dizzy that she finally passed out.

**R**

Wesker turned off his super computer and shook his head. He didn't like it when people spied on him. Especially since he preferred to do the spying. He got up and stretched, getting all the kinks out. Strange, he couldn't believe of all the people who would find the way to brake through all his encryption codes he placed on his computer, it was _her_! She was just a teenager, a simple every day girl. No,she had to have help, but who?

Wesker smiled, hearing opportunity knocking. He could use her to get to his ever eluding enemies, Chris and Clair Redfield. Knowing that they had a strong bond between them since the airplane crash, Intel told him that they kept in tabs for two years since then.. He chuckled as he got ready for bed. First thing in the morning, he was going to contact Krauser and tell him that there will be a slight change in plans.

"This should be interesting."

**R**

Sheila woke up to her rude awakening alarm clock. She groaned as she got up from bed, trying to stay awake. She turned off the annoying clock and went on to get ready for the day. Her morning ritual took thirty minutes, as usual. Then she proceeded to make some coffee and sat down to relax while reading a book as she ate her blueberry muffin. After ten minutes went by, she got up and grabbed her purse and keys and left. Already pushing away to the back of her mind what happened last night. Big mistake! What she failed to realise was the it was not a bad dream or a hallucination. It really did happen.

She failed to notice the pictures showing a smiling Sheila, Chris and Claire in different places like theme parks and beaches; that sort of thing. Somehow, her reality got twisted with the Resident Evil world. And that my dear readers, is never good.

**R**

"Come on Sheila! We have to get to our favorite seats before someone else does!"

"I'm coming! Sheesh! I'm the one caring all the snacks!" Sheila replied with irritation.

The girl tried to remember why she thought it was a good idea to take the two younger kids with her to the movies. Sure they were like family, but dang! They could really get under your skin sometimes! She figured that she must be crazy. It was the only thing that explained why she was doing this in the first place.

Katrina (Katie) and Decoda ( Cody ) were the names of her young companions. They were cousins who saw each other all the time, which meant they fought constantly. Katie was a red headed 12 year old with a temper to match, had blue eyes, freckles, and a cute oval face. Cody, a blond, blue eyed, 10 year old rascal was at the age of rebelling against any figure of authority. It was only the grace of God that kept Sheila from leaving them at a deserted dirt road.

All the way up to the theater they bickered over stupid things. And now they were fighting over who would sit next to her.

_Uuuurgh! Just go to your happy place._

"I said I get to sit next to her in the car when we go home!" Katy growled, casting her younger cousin a withering glare.

_Ignore them. You're at the beach..._

"Nuh Uuh! I said it first!" Cody replied, reaching over to poke Katy harshly in her ribs.

_The sound of waves-_

"Don't you touch me, Cody!"

"TOUCH!"

I'm warning you!"

_The sun gently warming your skin as-_

"That's it! YOU'RE DEAD!" Katy screamed, turning to beat the ever living crap out of the mischevious boy.

"SHUT UP!" Sheila screamed.

Everyone stopped and gave her disapproving looks. Sheila blushed and hurried them to some seats.

Their seats were the last row where you could see the picture just fine without giving yourself a crank in the neck trying to watch it. Nobody was sitting in the back row which made her happy. Very happy! Happy because nobody would see her beat the living day lights out of the two kids if they kept it up with their bickering. She quickly solved the situation with the seating arrangement by sitting between them, this way they couldn't even look at other. Muah! HAHAHAHAHA!

Sheila was an 18 year old high school graduate who has been dying to have a little time to do something interesting besides working and college. (Through the mail, my family doesn't have the money to send me to college of my choice yet.)

Usually she would play games with her family, play Resident Evil 4 on her PlayStation 2, paint or play the piano. But lately she has been too busy babysitting her niece and working. So you see why she was crazy enough to bring these two along with her on what was supposed to be a fun time.

Sheila was 5'3, chubby but petite, had natural curly red hair that went down to her waist, pale skin, and blue/green Hazel eyes that always seemed to shine with mischievousness. Tonight, she had on a sleeveless white button up shirt on, khaki shorts and black boots with no heels of course! (There was a warm front in the fall, so that's why I'm dressed that way. Okay back to the story!)

"Sheshe, can you hold my snack and drink for me? I got to go to the bathroom," Katie asked. Sheila smiled and put her stuff down and grabbed Katie's drink and popcorn for her. She turned to Cody and said,"You better go too. Better now than in the middle of the movie."

Cody cocked his head and thought about it for a second. "Hmmmmmm. Okay."

He put his nachoes & cheese in her lap and his drink on the ground and went to the bathroom, whistling.

Sheila sighed and smiled. Alone at last... Well for the moment at least. The lights went out as the previews appeared on the movie screen. She took a sip from Katie's coke while focusing on the screen, too occupied to notice a large figure looming behind her. A chill went down her spine. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her senses kicked into alert mode. Something was wrong. Suddenly two large male hands lifted her out of her seat like she weighed nothing. Next thing she knew, she was standing with her back pressed up against a wall of rock hard muscle, a arm of steel was wrapped around her waist and a large hand clamped over her mouth.

She began to struggle with vigour when a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Calm down. If you don't do as I say, those kids won't live to see their next birthday." Her eyes widened at the threat. Her eyes scanned around the crowd, hoping that someone would help. Not one person payed attention to what was going down in the back row. That didn't surprise her, after all this was a Ha-h-t. She stopped struggling.

_Stupid People!_

"Now listen up! We're going to leave this place like a happy couple. I'm going to let you go now and hold your hand as if nothing is wrong. If you make a scene, people will die. I got a Killer 7 magnum handy, so trust me when I say I will kill everyone without blinking. Got it?"

She reluctantly nodded. He let her go and stepped back. She waited for him to make the first move. He grabbed her hand and led her out into the next room which was the snack room. She quickly looked at the bathrooms as they past them, hoping the kids would stay in there until they left. She couldn't bare it if anything happened to them. Luckily, they exited the room with no problems, which made her sigh in relief. Now they were in the tiny room that lead ouside in the parking lot. She wondered what he was going to do since the windows were large and had a good view of who was coming and who was going.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am? If you are planning to leave and come back later, you'll have to have your ticket stubs with you or I won't be able to let you back in," the desk lady called out.

The stranger squeezed her hand painfully, letting her know he meant business earlier. She smiled and looked at the lady at the desk.

"Don't worry. We have our stubs in the car outside. My boyfriend is walking me to the car to get my purse. Silly me forgot it in my unlocked car. Heh! Heh!" Sheila said nervously, hoping the lady would remember her as the girl with the crazy kids and call the police when they exited the building. But of course she didn't. The kind but oblivious woman just smiled and went back to the snack bar.

They exited the theater and and walked around to the back of the building. The theater was sharing the building with a Chinese restaurant and a beauty salon. Which gave her hope that all the cars that was driving by would notice the big black van and two people that wasn't suppose to be there, and call the freaking police! Nobody did, nobody cared.

She finally looked up at her captor and saw his face in the dim light. Her eyes widened. The guy look like Jack Krauser! He had the same scars, blond hair, and the same build. And boy was he tall! He was 6'3 or 6'4 feet tall. It really made her feel like a hobbit compared to him!

_"Holy Moly! Jack Krauser!... Wait, no Sheila. He just looks like a Resident Evil 4 fictional character, that's all. Just calm down. Okay? Okay!" _Sheila mentally assured herself. But that voice she only knew to well spoke to her in his gruff, smug way, confirming the side of her that was believing it. The other half was in oblivious land, and wanted to stay there.

"Very good. You had me worried there for a minute. I thought I would get my hands dirty from the massacre that you would have caused. In a way, I'm kinda disappointed."

Sheila's temper grew from his horrible statement. How dare he say that! Nobody intimidates Sheila! The teenager straightened to her full 5'3 height and poked him in the chest, telling him off in her own typical way.

"Oh really! How dare you come and threaten my friends and the people here! Do you know who you are messing with pal? Do you think I'm going to take this crap from you, you good for nothing, stupid, smelly, ugly, sicko, MONKEY BUTT!"

Sheila trembled with rage and stared at the Jack Krauser wanna bee. He just stared at her, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. She started to think she whent to far when the man reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with a clear drug.

She gulped and started to smile, saying, "Hey there! Now put the large needle down. You said some things, I said some things. Heh, let's put it behind us and move for-"

The needle pierced her skin quickly and injected the drug. Her vision got blurry as her legs became numb. She fell into the mans arms, faintly hearing him say, "Hmph. You talk too much. I could kill you for your idiotic words, but I better not. You're the perfect specimen for "Queen Plagas project".

He layed her in the back of the van and pulled out his cell and dialed.

"I found the perfect subject for your plans... Yes sir... Of course. It'll be a little tough to get Saddler to go along with the slight change of plans, but I already got an offer he can't refuse... I know... Ada! But sir... Yes sir. I understand... I won't let you down, Wesker."

And after hearing that, Sheila slipped into unconsciousness.

**Disclaimer: Buh!HAHAHAHAHAH! Yes,I don't own Resident Evil 4 or any of the series! So what! I still can write evil stories about my favorite characters ! I don't make any profit on these fan fictions, so DON'T SUE! I'm a crazy fan who just has to express herself so don't hate CAPCOM! **


	2. Edited Chapter 1: My Name is Nunya!

**Authors New Note: Helloooo eveery one! I like to thank 1wingangel for forgiving me for my error. So if anyone is worried about us, don't! We've cleared the air! So like I promised, I rewrote this cool chapter! PLEEEAAAAASSSE REVIEW! And enjoy! El Yeah! Oh! And thank you jackal762 for your kind words! I can't wait to here your review of this new edited adition of..."My Name is Nunya! **

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 1:My Name is Nunya!**

Sheila woke up with a slight headach. Her head swam and her vision was blured as she tried to look around. When shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, her result was an already painful headach feel much worse. Finally, she gave up and just closed her eyes and listened to the sound of a engine.

_That's odd. I don't remember falling asleep in the theater... Oh crap! Don't tell me Katy and Cody actually went throught what they always joked about!_

Sheila quickly lifted her head and forced her vision to come into focas. She was in the back of a vehicle alright, but not hers. Images flashed through her head. Her TV and the spinning bright light, being kidnapped, and at one point she remembered being on a plane, being fed by that Jack Krauser wanna-bee.

She looked around. From what she could gather, she was in some sort of SUV or something. Whatever it was, it was big and spacious. She tried to move her hands and feet but not to her surprise, she was tied up with rope.

_Great. I've been kidnapped by a guy who looks like Jack Krauser who coincidentaly works for a guy named Wesker!... This can't be real... It's just a dream... I'm waking up now... Wake up... WAKE UP! _

The vehicle slowed down, making Sheila dread of what she would see. Her heart pounded as the driver got out of the vehicle and came over to her door. Waking up apparently was harder then she thought. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to think up something, but the only thing that came to mind was to pretend she was asleep. She closed her eyes and relaxed as the driver opened her door. He grumbled about carrying her all over the place while lifting her ruffly out of the car. She winced as the man threw her over her shoulder.

She opened one eye and looked around. She was in a wooded area, the trees were shedding their leaves for the winter. She shivered as the man carried her down a path. The teenager wanted to complain about the ruff treatment, but she wisely didn't. Even though her stomach ached from the pressure of being on this man's large strong shoulder.

Sheila began to wander when they would reach where ever they were going. If they didn't soon, she just might barf. Luckily for her kidnapper, he found a dirt road that was less bumpy and body farring. The road led to a familiar wooden bridge. She shivered more, not from the cold, but by the familiar landscape around her. It felt like she was going to be sick from the drugs after all, and that was the stray thought that brought realisation that she was not in Georgia anymore more real then ever.

_This can't be... Oh God, what is happening to me? Wait, don't tell me Lord, I play too much Resident Evil 4 and now I'm having a nervous breakdown from it... THIS SUCKS!_

The man made it to the dirty house that was just like in the game, Sheila noticed with dread and kicked the door open. A villager ran around the corner and was looking veeeery ticked off. The man smirked and said something in Spanish which obvoisly offended him but shut him up. The blond man walked into the dirty dining room and dumped her on that dirty kitchen table. Sheila fought back the grimace and stayed still as she waited for someone to speak.

"Krouser, what is this?" said the gruff, deep voice. Sheila trembled as one word came to mind...(Mendez!)

"Hmph. This is no matter to you Mendez... Where is Lord Saddler?"

"He'll be here shortly. And this is my business," said Mendez with a hint of malice in his voice. Krauser scoffed and dragged a chair out from the table and sat down.

"I just brought a little extra addition for your village." Krauser said simply.

"Extra addition? Why would I even tolerate a outsider like her? In fact, I shouldn't even tolerate you, Jack." Something about the way Mendez spoke his name really bothered the blond soldier.

He got up right away and took out his knife and threatened, "What exactley are you implying?"

"That's enough!" came the sound of a smooth, calcullating voice. Both men straightened up as Saddler stepped inside the room.

"Lord Saddler, I'm sorry you had to come down here for this embicile." Mendez said apolagetically.

Saddler nodded and said while confiscating Mendez's chair, "There is no need to apolagise. I trust Krauser. He has proven his loyalty by bringing me Ashley. But I am not happy about taking this trip to this filthy house. Explain yourself, Jack."

Krauser knelt down on one knee and began his little speech, "Lord Saddler, I wouldn't call you on short notice like this if I didn't have a good reason."

"Yes. Go on"

"I heard rumars about a agent coming this way... Is that correct?"

"Yes.. Unfortunally, it is."

"Well, while I was in America, I heard this perticular girl is friends with the Agent."

Silence...

"And I thought if I brought this girl to you, maybe you can use her for callateral."

Saddler stayed silent and seemed thoughtful. Sheila nearly jerked up and called Krauser a lier. She has never met Leon in real life!

_"Uh oh!" _Sheila thought with alarm. _"This is real... COOL!"_

Saddler finally spoke, "It's true that the agent is coming here, but I do not really need her. But, you do have a point... Krauser, you have proved you are more than ever deticated to the cause. You may leave knowing that I am well pleased. And Mendez, wait for me ouside while I wake our new guest."

"Yes, Lord Saddler."

Mendez gave Krauser a dirty look as he left the house. Krauser smirked and followed not too far behind, leaving Sheila with Lord Saddler. The girl stayed still, but grew a little nervous as Saddler just sat there and watched her. After about a minute, Saddler finally spoke.

"You may stop pretending to be asleep, my dear. You don't fool me."

Sheila opened one eye as she looked at Saddler. She opened both eyes to get a good look at him. He was way more evil and creepy looking than in the game. His hood was pulled back, revealing his long grey hair. It was neat and clean. His face was pale but kind of shiny, making him even more freaky looking. His eyes were yellow, making him look like a sick patient. And ... HE HAD NO EYEBROWS! Somehow, that suited his persona. In a creepy, evil monster kind of way.

"Welcome to Spain. I hope you had a good trip."

Sheila said nothing, not wanting to talk to this crazy man.

"Today is a very special day."

Sheila shook her head. "Ummmm. What's up?"

He smiled and said, "Oh, just that your are going to recieve a wonderful gift. A gift of power-"

Sheila drowned him out as he went on with her new place in the world and blah, blah, blah. She wonedered to herself how this was happening. How could he be here and be real? Was she in some sort of wormhole or something? Hey, she watched Sci-fi thanks to her father, so the possibilties that the TV taught her seemed more real then ever. Her train of thought was interupted by the end of Saddler's speach.

"So you see my dear, you will be one of us, Miss...?"

Sheila smiled as she thought of the old saying where she and her brother used to tell each other when the other wanted to know the other's secret.

"Nunya."

"Pardon?"

"My name is Nunya!."

"Nunya?"

"Yeah, Nunya."

Saddler looked confused by this name. She barely held back the laughter at the sight of Saddler looking confused. And what really topped it off, he believed her!

"Well Miss Nunya, if you are ready or not, I will grant you this precious gift now. Be prepared, Nunya-"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

Saddler looked at her like she was crazy. She stopped and looked at him innocently. This was sooo fun! To think, her, Sheila, would be making the great Lord Saddler look like a fool!

Saddler stopped and looked at her. What did that strange name mean? Nunya?

"Nunya-"

Sheila began to snicker. Now Sheila was a good actress, but she had a weakness. If she knew she was going to be caught for doing a prank, for some reason she would smile mischievously and laugh.. What can I say? She loves to laugh!

"Nunya-"

Sheila broke into a fit of uncontrolable laughter as Saddler looked more and more confused. His face finaly clouded over, the fake charming smile gone as he spoke harshley, "Nunya... Nunya! Stop that laughing this instance! Do you know who you are laughing at?"

Laughter could be heard outside of the house.

"Nunya!"

Sheila calmed down and began to talk to him like she knew him forever.

"Oh, Lighten up, Saddler! It's just a joke."

"What is?"

"What is what?"

"What is the joke?"

Sheila rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You still don't get it."

Saddler stood up and looked like he was about to do something rash. Sheila decided not to push her luck.

"Nunya... You know, Nuuuuuuunyyyyyaaaaaaa... None-of-your-buisness. Nunya."

Saddler did not look amused at all. He walked over to her and stared down into her eyes.

"Enough talk. It's time to except your gift. Since we are not in the lab, there is only one option for you... The old way."

"Urrrm. Old way?" Sheila asked nervously.

He raised his hand above her neck and said clamly, "Feel free to scream from the pain. No one will come to rescue you."

With that said, Saddler's hand began to tremble. A slimy, slender, sharp grey tentacle broke through the skin. Sheila eyes widened in panic.

_This so didn't happen in the game!_

The tentacle made it's way down to her neck. Suddenly, it pierced her neck, quickly injecting some sort of hot liquid in her neck. She screamed from the pain, feeling like molten lava was being poured into her body. Then a sharp pain shot through her neck. The egg was finally injected .

The tentacle slipped out of her neck and back intop Saddler's hand. He grabbed a dirty napkin and dabbed at the wound. Already, the wound began to heal and close up, thanks to what was injected in her.

"Welcome American, to the new age!"

**Authors Note: Well? What do ya'll think? Sorry it took a little longer than expected, the computer accidently erraised half of it before I could erase! But I'm proud to have still finished! So I hope this pleases ya'll! The chapter 2 will be up soon! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Edited Chapter 2:Hya, Big Cheeze!

**New Authors Note: Hyyyyyy! Here's my edited version of this cool chapter! Heheheheheeee! What do I have in store for bugging Mendez? You have to read! Haaaa! Haaaa! Read and review! **

**Chapter 2: Hya, Big Cheese!**

Sheila's house was bustling with police and people. The pastor and some church members were there for moral support for the grieving family. It would take eternity writing how they helped and the conversations going on, so I'll just write the most important one that is occurring right this moment.

Claire and Chris were sitting on each side of Sheila's mother. Her mother was holding up strong, but the strain of the situation was showing on her sweet face.

"Oh, Momma Dee, I wish we could do more to help!" Claire said with a shaky voice.

Sheila's mother smiled sadly, patting her hand as she said, "I know Claire. I can't say I'm fine about this... But I know my daughter will get through this. She's a survivor. The only thing we can do at this time is pray."

Claire squeezed the kind woman's hand gently, not wanting to hurt her crippling hand. Sheila's mother had Ostio arthritis, a disease that ate away at the cartilage of the joints and the bones. Her legs were permanently bent from what the disease had done so far. But that didn't stop her from being the most active person Claire knows. She was a woman of faith, so when she prayed, you know mountains can be moved.

Chris put his hand on Dee's back and said, "I have contacts looking into this. We'll find her."

Sheila's dad gave Chris a questioning look. "Chris, why do I have the feeling that you might know something, but not willing to tell us?"

Chris looked at Claire, wandering if they should voice their suspicions. Claire shrugged. They knew that Rocky could read you like a book. He knew a lie when he heard one. So did Momma Dee.

With careful consideration, Chris finally replied, "You're right Rock, we do. As you know, Claire and I have made enemies in the past. Well, we-"

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but you got a letter-"

"I do mind you interupting us! We are in the middle of a important discussion!" Sheila's dad said angrily at the neighbor. The man gulped and continued.

"I'm sorry Rocky, but this is a little too weird to ignore. I was outside by the freezer having a smoke ,when I noticed that this envelope was on it. The strange thing is the note isn't addressed to you, but to Chris and Claire."

Everyone looked startled. Sheila's dad thanked him and apologised as Chris took the letter from him. As the neighbor had said, the envelope was addressed to Claire and himself. Chris didn't recognise the hand writing and neither did Claire. Unsure, he opened the envelope and took out the letter and read it out loud.

_Look in Spain for your young friend. Hurry, she's in serious trouble. Do not involve the law, if the people who have her hears that the government is some how involved, she will die. _

_Signed, _

_A friend of a friend_

Rocky's face turned to a ashen white. He looked so much older and weak after hearing that note.

He closed his eyes and said with a pained heart, "I already lost one child, I don't know if I can bear to lose another."

Chris stood up and asked with an authoritative air, "Do you trust me?"

Sheila's parents nodded their heads.

Chris continued, "I'll take some time off from the force and look for her in Spain. But we can't let the police or the FBI in on this."

Sheila's mom and Claire both began to protest, but Rocky stopped them. He agreed with Chris, they couldn't let the government know. He didn't like it, but what choice did they have?

Claire stood up and announced with determination, "I'm coming with you. Don't argue, you seem to forget that I have been a FBI field agent for three years. I've caught rapists, killers, and so many sickos that nothing can faze me about the criminal mind. I've battled zombies, B.O.W. weapons and Lickers with only a handgun and a bow-gun as backup! The list goes on and on. I can take care of myself as well as you can, Chris. Besides, that note was addressed to you and me."

Chris shook his head and sighed. He knew she was right, but he didn't have to like it.

He gave in finally and said, "Fine. Take some time off and pack your bags. We're going to Spain."

**R**

Sheila looked up at the ceiling with a bored expression on her face. So far, she's counted 3,124 cracks in the ceiling... Or was that 3,125? Well, at any rate, this little exercise to pass the time was only making her boredom problem a real pain in the neck. Earlier, the teenager woke up to find herself in a very dirty room. It was tiny and a bit smelly, and too chilly to get comfortable. And don't get me started on the stained walls. She couldn't tell if it was blood or... well, it ain't worth mentioning. Heck, even a cockroach would move out of this dump. After getting tired of laying down, she finally decided to get off of the disgusting bed and to pace for awhile instead. The metal door of course was locked from the outside, so she knew that there would be no grand escape for herself any time soon. So that left her stuck till somebody decided to drop by. Considering that the somebody was most likely going to be a Ganado, she really didn't have that to look forward to.

If you haven't figured it out already, the room she was in is the padlocked room in one of the villager's house in grand old Pueblo. So waking up on a bed with dried blood isn't the greatest feeling in the world. It was creepy and down right disturbing.

Sheila saw the wooden box and the barrel by the door, but decided to leave that to Leon... Of course he wouldn't be looking for her, he would be here for Ashley. But then again, Krauser said she knew Leon. So maybe the game version of herself knew Leon or something. But she couldn't be sure about that, even though she could tell Krauser was lying.

"This stinks! Man, what I wouldn't do for a Chicago Typewriter!"

After getting bored with the pacing and disturbing thoughts of never getting out of there, she decided to look under the bed. Maybe there's something under there to help her out. She was kinda desperate for something to occupy her mind.

She got down on her knees on the cold, dusty floor and peeked under the bed. She could make out something way in the back. She tried to reach it, but her short arms wasn't getting anywhere near it. She let out a frustrated sigh and got up. Deciding that moving the twin bed was the only way to get to the object, she grabbed the edge of the bed and pulled. The bed proved to be easy to pull back, though it scraped loudly on the wooden floor.

Crawling on top of the bed, she was curious to what she saw. A dusty, old book laid there leaning against the wall. She grabbed the book and opened it, feeling disapointed. She was hoping to find a knife or weopan hidden inside. Hey, this is a Resident Evil world. Items always show up in the strangest places.

She pushed the bed back and began to look the book over. It was thankfully in English. She didn't remember much what she learned in Spanish class. And what she did learn wouldn't get her far in this neck of the woods.

Looking at the title, the red head read aloud wryly, "Kidnapped... Huh, ironic much?"

The old book was something she read before. It was a interesting read, so she settled down and began to get engrossed with the literature.

While Sheila became engrossed with the old tale, the village chief made his way through the village at a leisurely pace. The villagers paused in their chores, watching their large, menacing, village leader with a mixture of awe and blandness. For Mendez was a impressive specimen of leadership and power. His height alone would give the men of the small town pause in the old days, before the parasite. His height and strength at first was a suspicious phenomenon, then it became inspriring as the man became a great leader for the Pueblo. His intelligent mind had kept the village elders on their toes while the younger villagers were kept entertained and submissive. It was no wander that when the parasite had been introduced to its unique host, his intellect and strength increased ten fold. Adding a mixture of cruelty that inspired fear and dread.

Mendez paused at the entrance, his mind on the new 'guest' to his village. Questions on why Krauser would bring a commoner from America was never answered. To say he was surprised that Lord Saddler allowed this insignificant insect to be apart of Los Illuminados would be the understatement of the century. But he remained quiet on the matter, knowing that his lord was one who had many agendas. This girl was now apart of that, no matter how unpleasant it was to think about it.

The village guards straightened up as the chief entered the house. With a nod of his head, the guards immediately unlocked and stepped aside for Mendez to enter the room. The girl was so absorbed in the book that she didn't hear him come in. He studied the strange American. She was short, had red,thick, curly hair that went down to her waist. Her choice of clothes were so much different then the women of his old time village. And in his mind, inappropriate for the cold, chilly air. Her pale, porcelain skin had some freckles splattered here and there, the only proof of her time spent under the sun. In conclusion, she was so very different then the women in the village. Most of them had dark skin from working long hours under the sun and dark brown, or black hair. Well... They did before the amazing gift that was spread through out the village, thanks to his Lord.

Mendez cleared his throat, letting her know she had company. She looked up with a startled expression on her heart shaped face. Her hazel eyes looked at him with surprise.

_Man! He's a big Mamma-jamma! Compared to him, I'm nothing more then a smurf._

She opened her mouth to say something, but decided to let him speak first. After all, she didn't want to upset Saddler's bug boy.

"I came here to talk, little girl. If you do not answer truthfully, your visit here will become a nightmare," Mendez stated simply. His tone was completely serious and containing menace behind the threat. "We want to know of your relationship between you and the American agent. And of course, your real name."

Sheila was disappointed. She wanted to hear Mendez to say Nunya. Oh well. She might as well give him her name. With a queenly air, she laid her hand over her chest and gave a exaggerated answer.

"Muaaaaaa? Well, I'm the queen of coolness, the big enchilada, the goofy goober, the one and only... Sheila! Please! Hold your applause."

Mendez gave her a scowl and crossed his arms over his chest. Not in the least moved by her humor. If there was a mike, she would have been tapping it and asking if it was on.

"This isn't fun and games. You are an outsider! You should be afraid for your life. For-"

Sheila sighed mentally and acted like she was listening.

_Why do these bad guys always take themselves so seriously? You think they would stop being so cocky and be more careful. But too bad for them and goo for Leon! _

As Mendez finished she snapped back to attention.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that last part. Could you repeat it?"

Mendez growled and took a step closer to the bed.

"Tell me how you know the agent."

"I know him from Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4." Sheila answered truthfully. Besides, it wasn't like he would believe her.

And of course the big lug proved her right. Mendez looked at her like she had grown two heads.

Standing up, she put her hands on her hips and said with as much as intimidation as she could muster, "If you don't mind stopping the questions for the moment, I would like you to get me something to eat. I'm having a sugar low which isn't very pretty. I get really sick and cranky if I don't have any food sustenance... So pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase get me some grub!"

Mendez glared down at her. He couldn't believe this girl! She was either crazy or very brave. He didn't know which. So, since he couldn't actually harm a hair on her head, he turned around and left the room.

She looked at the door as it slammed shut and and shouted," Well! So much for hospitality in this rinky, dinky house! Just for that, you get no tip!"

**R**

"Did you try to contact Leon?" Chris asked while piloting the seaplane.

"No. The only thing I got from his boss was that he finished his training and was out on his first mission." Claire replied with a hint of sadness.

Chris smiled and said, "Wow. Go Leon! I guess it's for the best anyways. He never met Sheila face to face. And he'll have his hands full working in this new branch of the secret service for the President. It wouldn't have been wise to involve him in something like this."

Claire grunted at that statement. Chris grinned at his sister's reaction. The thought of Sheila smiling and teasing Claire about her supposedly secret feelings for Leon was pleasant. But she wasn't there to play the part. And that quickly wiped the smile from his handsome face.

Chris frowned. Just thinking about Sheila made his heart ache. He knew she was going through a lot. Being kidnapped and taken to a different country would be terrifying for the teen. The thought of someone would actually take a innocent teenager and use her for their own gain boiled his blood to dangerous levels. Though most of the anger was directed at himself. Anyone associated with him had a mark on their back, and that included innocents who had nothing to do with Umbrella.

It's a safe assumption to say that he had an idea of the possibilities why the normal girl was taken. After all, she would be perfect bait for him and Claire. And he had no doubt that Wesker had a hand in this. Kidnapping this girl that he loved like a another sister was not a smart move. Ant the people responsible for this would have two angry Redfields to deal with. A dangerous combination.

Claire looked at her brother, seeing the angry look in his eyes. She knew who he was thinking about. Before they had left, they agreed that they were probably walking into a trap set by a certain person who shall remain nameless. She didn't like to think of that jerk who tried to kill her and her brother a few times in the past. But they agreed that they had no choice but to try and rescue Sheila from this lunatic. Their friend's life depended on them. That's why they came prepared. The siblings had brought some ammo, some guns, and a stinger launcher with stinger missiles. Her brother wanted to come prepared after all. That is why they took the seaplane; you couldn't get in a regular airport with this type of weopanry. She smiled. Those people who have Sheila is going to get a little surprise when they arrive.

**R**

Sheila hummed as she read the book. Her mind again focused on the story. But something was making things difficult to actually concentrate. And that thing was called hunger. She tried to ignore the burning sensation in her stomach. Though she wasn't a diabetic, she was just one of those people who had low blood sugar. Just when she started to feel really sick, the door opened. In stepped a young villager with a old tray. There was a bowl of hot, steamy vegetable soup. Her mouth watered as he set it on the bed.

He didn't look too pleased to be serving her, but he didn't dare do or say anything about his feelings with Mendez there staring at him like a hawk.

As he walked away, he heard Sheila say, "Gracias, Senior!"

He stiffened and walked out the door.

"Hya, Big Cheese! Thought you left me to starve! Thanks!"

Before he could muster out a word, Sheila bowed her head and began to pray for the food. You never know what they put in it. He watched in silence at the girl in front of him. A forbidden memory made its way to his consciousness. Him, his wife and her brother was sitting around his lavish table. His brother In-law had just gotten back from one of his many mysterious business trips and was paying them a visit. He told them he thought about sticking around for a while. He wasn't that thrilled to see that he was. The two never got along. When they were in the villages small school, they always fought over the littlest things. Now, he seemed to vanish without a trace for months on end, making his younger sister worry constantly.

He always came back with lots of money though. Guess he got that mysterouis trate from their father, the englishman who married the most beautiful woman in the village at the time.

His wife looked at him strangely, seeing he was distracted.

"Husband. Are you feeling unwell?"

He smiled at his beautiful, young wife. "I'm feeling just fine, my dear. Let us pray."

He knew his wife was very strict when it came to praying over their food. As they bowed their heads, he peeked at his wife and smiled at the picture she made. She looked more heavenly than any angel picture he has seen.

Mendez shook himself out of his memory and found the red head staring at him oddly. He looked like a normal human being for a moment, seeming to be lost in another world.

"Eat your lunch!" He growled at the girl.

Sheila shrugged and began eating the soup. It was hot and surprisingly good. When she finished she drained the water that was brought to her. Then she sighed happily and looked up at the impatient Big Cheese. She smiled mischievously.

"Soooooo.. Big Cheese, I got some questions for you. Are you so huge because the parasite in ya, or were you already that big before?"

Mendez eyes widened at her suggestion. How did she know about the parasite? Did Lord Saddler tell her about the parasite inside them all? Before he could respond she explained herself.

"Oh, I heard Saddler say this and that about the wonderful gift and blah, blah, blah. Aaanywhoo, why aren't you acting like one of those mindless Ganados outside? Is it because you have some sort of queen parasite? Is that the reason your so huge? What happened to your other eye? W-"

"You ask to many questions. Stop avoiding my question. How do you know the agent?"

Sheila just smiled and began to hum.

"What are you doing now?"

"Ignoring you. I don't have to answer anything. I know Saddler probably wants you to keep me from harm, am I right?"

Mendez said nothing.

"Your silence answers me loud and clear. Besides, I already answered your question."

He gave her a questioning look.

"Resident Evil... Sheesh! Pay attention!"

She continued to hum, annoying the over grown cheese ball. His real eye began to twitch as the girl continued to ignore him and read that book. Just when he decided he couldn't take it, a villager burst in and began speaking in rapid Spanish.

Sheila watched the exchange between the two, noticing Mendez grow even more stern, if that was possible. He really needed to smile once in a while.

He turned to her and said in a gruff voice, "You shall be moved now to a different location. If you try to escape from my men, you shall be punished. Just because we have to keep you alive and you carry the same blood as us, doesn't mean you will not face the price of your actions."

Sheila tried to smile but couldn't. She got the hint from those words.

The two guards grabbed her arms and led her out of the building. She gulped as they began to walk down the path. As she walked with dumb and dumbmer, she wondered if she will live to see her family again. After all, this is... RESIDENT EVIL FOOOOUUUUR! Heheheheheeeeeeeee!

**Authors Note: Muah!Hahahahahahahahahahhaaaaaa! How did ya like it? Hmmmmmm? Please review! I hoped it got your attention enough to read more! **


	4. Chapter 3: Leon's adventure Begins

**Authors Note: (Evil laughter) I got another review. Ha! Ha! Thank you Cerene! Keep reading and if you got any ideas I'll gladly use it in my story! Now this chapter shows what is going on with Leon and me. WARNING: Some blood,gore, and violence is in this chapter. Whooo Hoooo! Enjoy my version of RESIDENT EVIL 4! Muah!HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 3: Leon's Adventure Begins**

Leon sighed with relief when the car crossed the old, rickety bridge with no incident. He was surprised that the bridge held the weight of the car. It looked ancient and unsafe. Needless to say, he didn't look forward to crossing it again.

The car pulled over to the side and came to a complete stop.

"Well, here we are, Cowboy," the passenger cop announced.

Leon opened the door and began to step out. "I'll go and have a look around."

"We'll stay and watch the car," the passenger cop replied, "Don't want to get any parking tickets."

Leon looked at the cops in disbelief. "Right. Parking tickets."

With that said, Leon stepped out of the vehicle and slammed the door. He began to walk down the narrow path, having serious doubts about his _partners_. He was told they were the best, but so far they showed no promise.

"Jeez, who are these guys?" He muttered to himself.

"Did you say something?" Asked the driver as he rolled down the window.

Leon rolled his eyes and pretended he didn't hear them. The ex cop couldn't stand those two. All they did for the whole trip was gripe and complain how they got stuck with him. They also teased and questioned him since he got in the car, non stop. It was like some hate Leon fest, all you can eat! By the time they arrived in this mostly unpopulated area, he was ready to blow the pair away, then dump their bodies in the ditch. After all, nobody around to witness the crime. But he kept his cool, just like the way he was trained. Playing the passive target as the two teased and mocked him and his country. Though he did get a few good barbs in.

Besides, from their response just then, he now figured it was better they did come with him to talk to the owner of the house. Leon S. Kennedy worked better alone.

Suddenly, his radio began beeping, indicating a incoming call. Taking his radio from one of his leg holsters, he raised it to gaze at the screen. He couldn't help but admire the technology. This was a special GRV1 visual radio, allowing him to see the person who was calling as well as communicating.

On the screen was an attractive woman with a light brown, healthy tan complexion. She looked like she was in her early twenties. Her dark brown hair was pulled back so her headset could fit comfortably. She wore black rimmed glasses, which seemed to suit her no nonsense, 'Let's-get-down-to-business' appearance. Her dark black business suit covered white, V-necked collard blouse. From what the agent saw, this young beauty represented the voice of reason and order for his assignment. Not to mention that she was a cutey. Leon noticed that right away. Suddenly, the lady began to speak.

Hunnigan: _Leon_, _I_ _hope you can hear me_. _I'm Ingrid Hunnigan. I'll be your support on this mission._.

Leon: _Hmm. So now I put the name to the face._ _Yeah, I can hear you loud and clear. Somehow, I thought you'd be a little older. _

She smirked.

Leon: _So the subject is Ashley Graham,right?_

Hunnigan: _That's right. She's the daughter of the President._ (She smiled as she joked) _So try to behave yourself._

Leon chuckled.

Leon: _Whoever this group is, they sure picked the wrong girl to kidnap._

Hunnigan: _I'll see it I can find more information about this group from my end as well._

Leon: _Good. I'll talk to you later. Leon out._

Holstering his radio, he moved further down the path. He surveyed everything around him. The tree leaves had all fallen to the ground, brown and dead. The sky was nothing but grey overcast, indicating that it was going to rain. Leon put his hands in his pockets and frowned. This part of Europe was depressing. It was mid fall, the trees were naked and eerie from the lack of leaves. The cold air just topped it off in the really depressing part. He couldn't wait to get out of here.

He made out a house about twenty yards away.

_"Man. What a run down lookin' place." _Leon thought.

**R**

Sheila grumbled as she was forced to climb the ladder by the two idiots. She wanted to get in on some action, and not wait around on Leon to come!

"Vamos!" One Ganado cried in irritation.

"Yeeeah, shut up! Just you wait. A certain someone is going to blow your head off. Muah! HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!" Sheila laughed.

The two Ganados looked nervous at her antics. She had been giving them heck all the way here. And even though they didn't understand a single word of English, they knew that she insulted them and acted a bit crazy while doing it. Hence why they were a little nervous.

When they reached the metal door, they quickly opened it and pushed her through, causing her to stumble and fall. They laughed as they shut the door and locked it. Sheila quickly got up and snorted. They just didn't know who they were messing with. She was the video game MASTER! Sheila promised herself that when she gets out of this room, she's going to get a shotgun and blow some heads off.

Suddenly she felt a blindingly painful whack on the back of her head, knocking her unconscious. She fell to the floor with a thud. Ashley stood over her with a piece of wood. Her brown eyes were wide with fear and President's daughter was so frightened, she was willing to hit anybody who came into her cell. And that person was poor Sheila.

**R**

Leon was glad he had taken his favorite jacket with him. It was tough, warm, and a dark brown leather that was expensive and sturdy with a large collar that kept the cold wind off his neck. Perfect for the cold day.

When he reached the porch, he looked to the right and spotted an old, rusty truck blocking the small, dirt path.

_I got a bad feeling about that truck._

As he walked up the steps, he noticed that the door was open. He hoped this meant someone lived here, which in turn could point out where Ashley was. He smiled.

_Yeah. Keep dreaming, Leon. Like it would be that easy!_

He peeked inside, noticing how dark it was. The walls were brown and decaying from years of neglect and exposed to the elements. A sign that the place was either deserted, or belonged to someone who either didn't care or was too poor to keep up with the place. Feeling a bit exposed, the agent took out his handgun and slowly entered the house. The entry room took a sharp turn to the right. The sounds of a crackling fire and a man coughing invaded his ears.

As he passed the corner, he found himself in a musty, dirty dining area. A table and chairs were set in the middle of the room, with some rotting food sitting on the table. Leon's eyes caught sight of a man tending to the fire. Immediately noticing that the man appeared to have no visible or covered weapon on him, he leisurely holstered his gun and called out to the man.

_Please speak English.._

"Uh, excuse me, sir?"

The man ignored Leon, continuing to tend to his fire. Leon was not so easily to be brushed off like that. He reached behind to his pocket and grabbed his picture of Ashley. Then, he proceeded to walk across the room to where the home owner stood. With persistence, he held up the picture which showed a smiling, blond, cute girl with brown eyes that looked like they always were shining like stars.

"I was wandering if you might recognise the girl in this photgraph."

The man looked up at Leon and finally raised himself up. His skin was unnaturally pale. His black, curly, short hair was unkempt, and his clothes were dirty and ragy. To Leon, he looked like a Zombie with a heartbeat. Especially with the smell that accompanied the villager.

The man glared at Leon and sneered, "Que carajo haces aquiiLargate, cabron!"

_Not particulary what I had in mind._

He raised his hands in a gesture to calm the man down, and began to walk back to the exit, pocketing the picture. He didn't get to far when his ears picked up a sound of metal scraping, and then the sound of quickening footsteps behind. Quickly, Leon turned. And just in time to see the lunatic cry out, swinging the axe at his head. He quickly dove out of the way, the blade missing his head by centimeters. Quickly scrambling up to his feet, Leon set out to put a few feet between them. He then pulled out his gun and aimed it at the slowly advancing man.

"Freeze!" Leon ordered.

Step... Step...

"I said FREEZE!"

Step... Step... Still, to no avail.

_I warned you. _

Without a second thought, the agent fired a warning shot. The bullet connected with the man's right arm. The villager grunted in pain, looking at his wounded arm. He then looked back at Leon, determination and madness in his eyes. Leon then knew that it was kill or be killed.

The pale man raised the axe above his head, then charged with a feral shout. Leon shot three more rounds into the man's chest at point blank range, blood spurting out of the back where the bullets exited the body_. Thud_! The man dropped the axe and fell on his knees, all the while looking up at Leon with disdain. He then collapsed at Leon's feet, unmoving. Leon looked down at the corpse, gun pointed at his head.

Seconds later, he heard the sound of the old truck roaring to life. He ran to the window with the broken blinds and peeked through one of the holes. He saw the truck taring up the road as it sped down the path where the cops were. It was soon out of his line of sight. But he didn't have to see to know that there was collision coming. The sounds of his partners shouting in Spanish, then gunshots was mixed with the sound of metal meeting metal in a horrific collision. To his horror, he heard screams of his partners as they were pushed over the cliff. Leon then cursed, knowing that this simple questioning of so called innocent civilians has turned into a hostile mission.

The radio beeped, startling the former R.P.D cop. Quickly, he answered the call, seeing a worried looking Hunnigan on the screen.

Hunnigan:_ Leon, is everything okay?_

Leon: _There was a hostile local. I had no choice but to neutralize him. There are still others surrounding the area... They killed my partners._

Hunnigan: _This is a problem... Leon, get out of there and head toward the village. Take whatever measures necessary to save the subject._

Leon: _Understood._

Leon heard angry cries outside. He put up his radio and hurried to the door and closed it. Then he went on and locked it and ran where the stairs were. A dead, rotting smell came from the right of the stair case. Following his nose, he soon discovered disgusting sight. Human skulls and other bones were on the small shelves. Some of the body tissue were still rotting on the bones. Maggots were everywhere.

_Da-n! Looks like they have been killing for awhile, now. I got to hurry and get Ashley out of here!_

Leon ran back to the stairs and quickly took two at a time. There was doors boarded up at the top, covering all the doors. The only way out was through the window.

_Great! Just my luck._

He backed up, getting ready to leap through the window. He noticed the 9mm box of ammo on the small table at the back. He pocketed it and ran full speed at the fragile window. And with out blinking, he leaped and broke through the glass, shattering it into a million pieces. Everything seemed to slow down as he was falling to the ground. At the last minute, he flipped his body into a crouching position. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he quickly put his weight forward and rolled.

It was a perfect tumble. He stood up and turned around, gun pointing at the nearest villager. Then he waited till the villager was nearly on top of him before he fired. The first shot tore straight through the head, yet the man was still alive. The man brought up his hands to cover his face, screaming in pain as blood trailed down his hands. Leon fired another shot, this time causing the head to explode, sending pieces of skin, blood, bone and brain matter everywhere, splattering the villager with the pitchfork behind him.

_Ooookay. I thought a bullet to the head the first time was a kill shot. Not good. At least their heads are easy to pop like zombies._

Leon didn't have time to ponder how the first bullet didn't kill the guy or how easy the man's head exploded much. The man with the pitchfork was trying to spear him, which really ticked him off. Leon grabbed his knife and threw it at the villager's head, his aim perfect. The man grabbed the hilt of the knife and tried to yank it out of his forehead. The agent rushed forward and kicked the knife further into his brain, causing the man to scream and fall down.

The third guy screamed "Meida!" and ran at Leon with his hand axe raised high. Leon shot the young man once in the head and once in the heart. He fell to his knees, blood pouring from his wounds and mouth. Leon grabbed his knife from the unlucky pitchfork guy and ran up to the wounded younger man. He then stabbed him in the neck and twisted his knife, finally killing his enemy. Pitchfork guy stood up and slowly walked up to Leon. But then the ex cop turned around and shot the man twice in the heart, killing the crazy villager once and for all.

He ignored the dead bodies as he ran down the path that lead to where the attack on the two cops had occurred. His heart sank when he saw black smoke coming from over the edge of the cliff. Looking down, Leon saw that both smoking vehicles were on the rocks of the rushing river below. Both vehicles totalled.

"Oh no."

He stood there for a few seconds, taking it all in. He was completely alone, with no backup. He was probably in a area that was not marked down on a map. And to top it all off, the bridge was destroyed. So no way of going back the way he came.

Resigned to face another long nightmare, he turned around and started walking. He wandered how he was going to get Ashley and himself out of this mess. He stopped and checked his gun. It was empty, so he quickly reloaded his gun and continued down the road. His adventure was just beginning.

**Authors Note: That was fun to write! Send me more reviews so I can go on! I'll probably would go on if you don't, but it is so muck more fun when you review! Here is another option for you guy to decide. Do ya'll want me to skip every thing up to when Leon finds Luis or continue the story where I left off? I'll most likely skip the farm scene so I can hurry the story along, but it is up to ya'll! Please give answer shortly! I can't move on if ya don't. Review!**

**Disclaimer: Detective: This is ridicules! I can't believe I'm in Switzerland looking for that crazy young woman! Cop agrees with Detective although he is enjoying the continue to walk down the streets, looking in all the candy stores. Cop: Man! I think she's read to much of that Claire Dear,Tear or whatever, fan fiction. I get mad as I sit behind a : IT'S CLAIRE BEAR YOU FLAT FOOTS! sign. I begin to throw peppermints and jelly beans at them, causing them to fall. Detective: HEY! Stop that. STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW! OUCH! I laugh like a sico and run out the door with the chocolate and the papers I've been caring around. ME: Buah!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I got them! I don't own them which sucks but I still get to write! That's all foooolks! ( Hey come back here! Man! She's a fast little bugger!)**


	5. Chapter 4:The Path to Pueblo

**Authors Note: Helloooooo! Got more reviews! I like to thank silverfox3220 for your vote and review! El Yeeeaaah! Okay, the winning votes for the Leon romance thing iiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssss...THE LEON AND CLAIRE ROMANCE THINGY! WOOOOOOOOO! HOOOOOOOOOO! (sniffle) It's so beautiful! HeHeHe! Okay, time to make my announcement. Monday, I might not get to write the next chapter. My family and I will be going over to my Grandma's house for brunch. (Sigh.) My grandma's cooking isn't the best... In fact, it's disgusting sometimes. I know that sounds mean but you haven't tasted her cooking. But my mom is helping her so it should be good enough. My grandma just doesn't know how to make diebetic food taste good. My mom does though! Aaaanywhooo, thats all for now. Who knows, I probably will write the next chapter when I get home. In fact, I WILL! I can't leave you guys hanging! Buuut if I don't, you'll know the reason why. Teehee! Oh another thing...I just couldn't wait on votes if I should skip to Leon meeting Luis so I decided myself! Please don't hate. Inspiration knocked on my door and demanded to be let loose! Thanks Lady Tatum for your review! Sorry for the long Authors Note!**

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 4:The Path to Pueblo**

Leon looked warily around as he started down the path. A sign next to a small, one room cabin read "Pueblo" and pointed down the one way path. Perfect for being ambushed.

Leon intuned senses was all too aware of everything around him as he went inside the first cabin. It was empty, except for the cobwebs and wooden crates on the table. Leon opened them and found Two clips of 9mm ammo in one box, and a small box of gold pesetas in the other. He took his small metal case that was strapped on to his back and put the money inside it. It could come in handy later on, such as bribing one of the locals for Intel on the where abouts of the President's daughter. The ammo he put in his agent utility belt. Coooool! He looked up on the shelf and saw another box. He broke it with his knife and saw a green herb.

_Why put it there? Whatever. _

Leon was just grateful that these herbs grew here in Spain, too.

Done and satisfied with his snooping, he silently exited the crappy cabin and resumed walking carefully down the path. An animals howl broke the silence. Leon slowly started toward the animal's painful cry when he noticed a disturbing sign. The tall signpost had dried, congeled blood on two pieces of wood that was nailed in a criss cross way. A human skull hung on a string on both sides of the X, presenting a gory sight.

_"Wow. They sure know how to put out the welcome sign," _Leon thought while grimacing.

Taking to heart the sign, he carefully walked toward the animal's cries while checking everywhere for any sign of danger. Soon, he found the poor animal that was yelping. It was a grey, large dog who looked like he had some wolf in him. The poor mutt's right hind leg was caught in the beartrap. The animal was snapping and snarling in pain at his leg, just starting trying to chew his leg off. Leon took a step forward, alerting the dog to his presence. The beast looked up and growled low in his throut. The agent stopped and croached to the dog's eye level. After waiting a minute the animal resumed to whine and lick at his poor leg. Slowly, Leon got up and walked to the animal. The dog ignored him as he gave all his attentionto his hurt leg. Crouching down next to the dog, he began to speak in soft tones and trying to reassure the animal that he meant no harm.

"Easy boy. It's all right, I just need to look at your leg. Don't bite my face off."

He examined the wounded limb. Surrpringly, it wasn't as bad as he thought. The rusted jaws were clamped on the leg but it didn't break the bone.

"Well boy, you're going to be alright. Just a nasty flesh wound."

He grabbd both side of the beartraps jaws and pushed down with all his strength and weight. The dog jumped out with a yelp and immediatly beganto lick his wounds. Releasing the large jaws of the trap, Leon quickly took out the green herb and crushed it into a powder form He then called the the whining animal. The dog slowly limped over and began to wag his tail. With a touch that could rival a woman's, Leon gentley covered the ugly wound with the herb and bandaged it. When he was finished, the dog began to walk around on his leg slowly, testing it. Then the slowlness disappeared as the animal became confidant, seemingly good as new. The dog turned around and barked at him happily, then took off into the woods.

Leon smiled and continued down the path.

"Well, I guess I did my good deed for the day."

**R**

Sheila woke up with a painful headache. She sat up slowly with a groan.

_What happened? _

She felt the back of her head gentley and winced. Pulling her hand away, she looked at it with a passive face. Blood coated her fingers. SHE WAS GOING TO KILL WHO DID THIS TO HER!

She looked around and saw Ashley sitting in a corner with a long piece of wood. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"Are you the guiness who did this to me?" Sheila snarled.

Ashley's eyes became huge as she cried out, "DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!"

Sheila groaned at the shriek and said, "Please don't shriek like that again! You gave me a concussion and your girly screaming is making the pain worse!"

Ashley stood up on shaky legs, rasing her weopan, "Shut Up! Why did you bring me here! My daddy will get you terriosts for this! DO YOU KNOW WHO I-"

Ashley didn't get to finish as Sheila launched herself at the panicked blond and tackled her to the floor. Even though the young woman was taller than Sheila by a couple of inches, she was no match for this girl! Ashley screamed as Sheila put her in a head lock. The red head had ruffed housed her older brother and some of her male friends for years, so she knew how to defend and go on the offense with anybody.

"Now listen here, Princess! I'm a victim, just like you. I'm not one of these Spanish kidnappers! As you can see, I'M AMERICAN! I was kidnapped from my home town and found myself in this dump, so don't go around all panicky and hitting people with pieces of WOOD! Do... You.. Understand?"

Ashley screached a annoying yes. Satisfied, Sheila let her go with a shove. Ashley coughed and stared menacingly at Sheila as she walked around, looking through the barrels and shelves. The teen soon found some 9mm ammo, a large leather bag full of pesetas, and a green herb. She sighed with relief and crushed the herb, then put it on the back of her head. The pain went away and her vision cleared. She smiled as she realised that if she was a game character, her life would be on the green fine position.

She sat back down and leaned against the wall.

Ashley spoke with an angry tone.

"That was rude of you to do that to me. Do you know who I am?"

Sheila looked at her with a "Give me a break" look.

"First off, where I come from, you don't hit a stranger on the back of the head. That calls for the police involvement or the victim kicking your fat butt till your black and blue. Count yourself lucky that we're in Spain. Second, yes, I do know who you are. You're Ashley Graham, the President's daughter. Big WHOOOPY DOOOO!"

Ashley looked angry and began to speak again. " Listen here you red headed clown! You better show me some respect or I will show you I mean business!"

Now Sheila was trying to hold her temper as she saw that Ashley was realy scared and confused. She even was in a forgiving mood toward the girl for hitting her on the head. But she was still angry about that and when she said that, the scary Sheila took over. She stood up with a blank face and started to walk over to her. Ashley looked quite scared, she was hoping her threat would put the girl in her place... It didn't. Sheila smiled evily and grabbed a bigger piece of wood.

"So, you're threatening me now, Princess. Well... I think you need a spanking for saying all those mean things. Buah! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ashley's face turned ashen as she stood up and ran. Sheila chased her around the room, laughing.

"Muah! HaHaHaHAHAHA! Don't run, Ashley! I won't hurt you... TOO MUCH!"

**R**

Leon shuddered as he shot the villager in the head, killing him. For some reason, he just got a feeling Ashley was going to be in pain in a minute. And she deserved it? That was weird. Leon shrugged as he left the booby trapped area. He spotted another old tiny cabin along the path. As he got closer, the stentch of death filled the air. He knew that smell to well, thanks to Umbrella. As he walked to the door way, he noticed congeiling blood that soaked through the wood. He then stepped inside and beheld a sad, gruesome sight. A young woman with numerous, bloody wounds covering her tiny body was pinned high up on the wall with a pitchfork through her once beautiful face. She wore an old fashioned, blue dress with a pretty apron. Now, they were dirty and soaked with blood and grime. Her skin was grey and blue from being dead for a cople of hours. Blood was still leaking from under her dress.

Leon turned away and held back the bile in his throat. He now knew these people didn't care that you were male or female, they'll kill you dead if you were not on their side. The more he discovered, the more it looked grim for the President's daughter. He would have to save Ashley fast! To his horror, he saw some human bones on the dirty table. A human hand with all the bones still linked together was laying next to a box of handgunn ammo. He suddenly got angry, rage built inside him as he snatched the ammo. These people were going to pay for what they were doing. He'll bring down whoever is responsible for this!

**R**

Chris smiled as he got out of the seaplane. It was a smooth landing on the water, if he did say so himself. Claire smacked her smug brother in the arm plafully. He was always a little bit of a show off.

They walked down the dock and spotted a large log cabin and a four wheel drive, Dark Green SUV parked ouside it. They first went in the cabin at Chris's insistance. There. they found a note addressed to Chris.

_Welcome ZombieKlerN1! Sorry I'm not here to meet you finally in person, but I have a new costumer who lets just say, made a big intrance. The costumer will be needing me soon so again, I'm sorry I'm not there. But I did put all of the items you have requested in the chest upstairs in the first room to the right. I've even added a surprise for you for being one of my best costumers! _

_Sincerly,_

_The Merchant_

Claire looked at Chris with a puzzled look on her face. "ZombieKlerN1? And who is this merchant?"

Chris folded his hands and said defensly, "It's a perfect screen name for me! And the merchant is someone I ordered guns and stuff from. He always delivers the best weopanry available."

Claire snorted, then headed upstairs. She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"(laughter) Oh nothing realy. Just the thought of _you_ being the number 1 Zombie killer! Puuuleeeaaase! Ha!Ha!Ha!Ha! Ouch!"

Chris smirked as Claire gave him a dirty look while fixing her pony tail he messed up. Chris pushed her aside as he ran to the top of the stairs. Claire rolled her eyes and ran behind him. When they reached the top she punched him lightly in the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Chris asked while giving her a mock sad face.

She smiled, dispite her irrataion with him. "You know what."

Chris smiled and opened the door and bowed, saying, "Children before adults."

Claire put here nose up in the air and struted through the door. In the room was a King size bed, a large dresser, and a armoir with a large metal chest beside it.

Claire walked to the chest and frowned.

"Chris, this chest has a electronic lock on it!"

"Yeah I know. That's to keep anybody from stealing the items."

"I know that! Don't you think that's a little accesive? Especialy in a cabin that you told me nobody knows about."

"The merchant always works that way. When he sends me my stuff that I order, he sends them like this. What can I say? He's paranoid."

Chris stepped forward and punched in the code. A computer female voice said, "Welcome ZomieKilllerN1. The lock is opened."

Chris smiled and opened the chest while saying, "Thanks babe."

Claire rolled her eyes and looked inside. Inside the box was clothes for her and Chris, utility belts with cool pockets, radios so if they get separated they could contact each other, Army rations(blech), gun holsters, armor protect bullet proof vest that protect you from armor proof bullets, rope, army boots for her and Chris, a special sidepack, a Rioat Shotgun with a ammo belt, a bowgun with the same powder from Code Veronica, and knives like Rambo's in Rambo 2! Claire looked at her brother and smiled.

"After all the times we faced Wesker and Umbrella, we always had to use what was on sight. Well, I thought the stuff we brought was great, but what we really needed was the castom made items here! I'm not going to face another situation unprepared," Chris explained with a sheepish grin.

Claire laughed and hugged her brother. "My thoughts exactly."

**R**

Leon struggled with the man on the bridge. He threw two of the villagers off earlier, but was surprised when the third one snuck up on him. He had grabbed Leon by the throat and lifted him off the floor. As he laughed with evil glle while choking him, Leon had reached for his knife and stabbed him in a area he hasn't tested out yet. The eye. The man screamed and backed up, covering his horrible wound. Unfortunately for him, he backed up too far and fell over the ropes, plunging to his death. The agent looked at his knife and made a face at what he saw. The man's ruptured eyeball staring right back at him. He wiped his knife on the rope, cleaning it and put it back in its sheath. Then he continued walking, and smiled when he saw the men on the cliff run. They had been shouting and jeering at him in Spanish when he was attacked. When he killed their friends, they shut up and looked at him in disbelief.

"Heh. Cowards."

Leon crossed the brigde and walked some more down the path. He finally saw the gate that would get him off this crazy path. Another tiny cabin was to his left. He stopped when he heard a man mumbling to himself. He got into his agent stance and slowly approached the door. The laser dot of his gun wound up on the back of the villager's head. But then Leon made a typical error by stepping on a twig, which of course snapped. The man whipped around and yelled some gibberish. Without thinking, Leon fired twice, the bullets ripping through the chest, killing the man. He dropped his axe and fell to the ground.

He stepped over the body and collected the green and red herb, mixed them, and then left the cabin. Walking over to the doors, he noticed the strange symbol on the door.

_Weird. It looks like some kind of insect. _

Leon shrugged and opened the double doors and walked through. This will not be the last time he saw that symbol. Buah! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

**Authors Note: Okay,I know this chapter was a little slow. It didn't have as much fighting in it as the last one did. I wanted to set all my characters in place so I can get the story moving in a more action pace. Also I feel like crap. My sinus infectionall of a sudden got inflamed, causing my right side of my face to swell. I'm a little better tonight but still a little out of it. AAAnywhoooo, I got some more options for ya'll! Do you fans want me to make Ashley eat dirt ooooor just scare her and make her pee her skirt? Now if your a Ashley fan,don't get offended. I kinda do like her and I get why she acts the way she does in the game, but sometimes she just gets on my nerves! I'll be nicer to her later in the game, but don't expect me to be best friends with her. Okee Dokee! Send in your votes! REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I'm in a TV station,riding the elevater up where they are doing a current story on the news. I snicker at the crazy thing I'm going to do_. DING_! That's my singnal that I'm on my right floor. I step through and find myself in a busy room. Nobody notices as I sneak my way to the desk where they'll be doing their report. I hide under the desk.**

**Detective steps out of elevater with his fellow cop.**

**Detective: Dang it! I know she went up here. Okay, let's split up.**

**Reporter sits in their chairs. You here a guy say, "Five, Four, Three, Two, One.**"

**Reporter 1:This is just in, a crazy young woman has - (Evil laughter) **

**ME: Muah! HAHAHAHA! Yes! I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! And nobody can stop meeee! (Hey! FREEZE!) Uh Oh! I run and drop the papers, barely escaping the crazy cops. I'm sad but at least I got away. Oh well. I don't own Resident Evil Blah! Blah! Blah! Tune in next time to see me go all mission impossible in my new DISCLAIMERS!**


	6. Chapter 5:Say Hello to the Big Cheeze

**Authors Note: Thanks for the REVIEW! As voted, I'll now skip to the The BIG CHEESE! Forget what I said about going on through the whole mess and the village. All those disappointed, I'm sorry... Don't go away! I'll have flashbacks! YEEEEAAAAAH! Not long ones. Anywhooo! Prepare to see A BIG CHEESE MOMENT! Courtesy of silverfox3220! This ones for YOOOOOOU! ENJOY! Buah! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!**

**Resident Evil 4: A twist in Reality**

**Chapter 5: Say hello to the Big CHEEZE!... What a FREAK! And Flashbacks of Crazy Town!**

"AAAAAAH! Get away from me you sicko!" Ashley yelled at the EVIL SHEILA!

The short teenager has been chasing her for ten minutes, and both were getting a little tired. Since chasing her while carrying a big stick wasn't working out the way she planned, she dropped the large piece of wood and decided to go back to tackling. Sheila got into her football player stance and charged. Ashley screamed as Sheila sacked her just as a NFL football player would do.

"Buah! HAHAHAHAHA HA HAAAA!" Sheila laughed as she sat on top of Ashley's back.

"Get off of me! What are you trying to d-" Ashley didn't get to finish as Sheila grabbed her hair and looked around for something to shove down her throat. She saw a crate with dirt and some herbs growing in it. Smiling like a cat who got its saucer of cream, the teen reached out and grabbed a hand full of the dark dirt.

"You shouldn't have said that to me, Aaaashleeey! You see, I was picked on by a couple of bullies in Primary school. My hair was the main topic. Do you know what my Dad said told me to do if they tried to hit and threaten me?"

Ashley shook her head no.

"He told me that all bullies are cowards deep down inside. He told me to fight back... In fact... He said to make them EAT DIRT!

She shoved the dirt in her mouth, Ashley squirmed and tried to scream. Which was stupid because Sheila then grabbed the crate and shoved her face in the dirt.

"Come on, Ashley! Eat dirt! If you're going to talk dirt then eat dirt. You better do it. I'll sit on top of you all day and night if I have too. Heheheheheheheheheheeee!"

Of coarse Ashley didn't listen so Sheila helped her. After five big hand fulls of dirt, Ashley succumbed and ate some dirt on her own. Sheila's wrath was satisfied. She got up and and sat back to her wall in the corner.

Ashley gagged and spat as she tried to scrape her tongue of the dirt that turned into some sort of saliva mud. When Ashley finally gave up on getting rid of the muddy substance from her taste buds, she went and sat down in her corner. The young, seething girl gave Sheila another dirty look. Which was funny considering her face was almost black from being planted in the dirt! HAHAHAHAHAHA! She looked like she had went through a war. Her orange sleeveless sweater was covered with dirt, Her green plaid skirt was a little torn a the bottom hem, which gave her a sort of a ragged appearance. The Princess was now part of the common folk.

Sheila smiled and shrugged. "You started it."

**R**

Leon shut the doors, his chest heaving. The village and the farmers were sick! Pitchforks, axes, CHAINSAWS! Oh, let's not forget when the villagers melted right before his eyes! Plus he found a note on the tree at the farm asking him to join a game and shoot all the blue medallions! What was wrong with these people?... Okay, so he did do that.. It was kinda fun. Although he only shot 7 so far since that was all in the area. But that's besides the point! Leon closed his eyes and got control of his emotions. Then he opened his eyes. The secret agent face was back in charge.

He started to walk down the hill when he noticed another gory sign post.

"Great. More trouble!"

Leon carefully walked down the trail when he heard someone shouting from above. He looked up and opened his mouth in shock. Two Ganados were pushing a Indiana Jones boulder over the edge!

"OH CRAP!"

Leon ran as the boulder fell where he was just at! The Boulder picked up speed as it chased him down the hill. He pumped his arms and legs faster and faster, his heart trying to beat out of his chest as he ran. The ground beneath his feet shook as death got closer and closer. Up ahead, he saw a tunnel. But the boulder was picking up speed more and more! It looked like he wouldn't make it in time to the safety of the tunnel. The boulder would squish him before he reached it.

But hope wasn't completely gone. His eyes spotted a tiny opening to the left where the narrow path opened out to. It was close to the tunnel. Leon narrowed his eyes and gave it his all as a new spurt of adrenaline ran through his veins. At the last possible second before the Boulder would crush him, he leaped to the left. The boulder went on and smashed into the tunnel, breaking in to pieces.

Leon laid down and panted. He escaped death yet again at the last possible second.

FLASHBACK!

Leon looked through his binoculars, spying on the villagers. They looked normal enough. There were milkmaids carrying buckets of their labor, a man pushing a wheelbarrow of hay to the small open barn. And all of the people were dressed in old fashioned clothes, kinda like the Amish. Then there was the big bonfire which had a man HOOKED ON A HOOK ROASTING! Leon tightened the binoculars, barely recognising the passenger cop. His stomach tightened. He did survive the crash after all... Only now, he suffered a worse fate than the crash.

_Oh, why didn't you come with me when you had the chance?_

He put away his binoculars and walked down the path behind the houses. He had no other option. From what he's experienced so far, ever villager has went crazy and attacked him. His safest bet was to hide and avoid. If somehow he could sneak by, maybe he could find Ashley and leave this place in one piece. He started to grow confident that he was going to get by without being seen when he heard a shout behind him. He cursed as he turned around and saw a milkmaid pointing at him. Leon pointed his gun at her as she brought out a pick axe.

_What the? Where did she get that? How? Da-n it it!_

Leon fired, causing her head to explode.

_That was easy._

His relief was short lived as more cries came from behind him. He cursed and started to run, but stooped when he saw her body and clothes melt away.

"That's new."

Before he could dwell on it much longer, a villager threw a axe at him with a loud grunt. Leon ran as the axe hit the wall next to his head. He used the narrowness between both houses as a short cut and looked around quickly. He saw a door opened in a two story house. He ran inside and slammed the door behind him, locking it. Villagers began to bang on the door violently.

"Who are these people?"

"Un forastero!"

Leon peeked through a tiny, rectangle glassless window.

"No escape!"

"What are they planning?"

Leon looked around, seeing them talking urgently to each other.

"Vos voy a roupes a peduzes!" said a villager to what looked like the ring leader.

The ringleader was a burly mam who could crack someones jaw with one punch. With a violent motion with his hands, the burly leader said, "No dejes que se escape!"

A chainsaw was started in the direction where the ringleader motioned.

"Da-n it! They got a chain saw!"

Leon looked to his left and saw a small dresser.

_That should do for now._

He quickly pushed the dresser over in front of the door. A pounding noise sounded at the boarded up window. He cursed as he saw villagers eyes peering at him where the cracks were. The sound of breaking glass upstairs alerted him that they were trying to get through the windows.

"Sh-t!"

END OF FLASHBACK! Muah! HAHAHAHA!

Leon shook his head and got up. He was alive and that was all that mattered. Although he was curious if the dipsticks who pushed that boulder were still around. He felt like having a little comeback! Walking back up the hill, he stopped when he heard some laughter up above. The two idiots had ran to the bridge to see the crushing of their enemy. Of course from their angle, they couldn't see that Leon had jumped out of the way. They were patting each other on the back and talking rapidly in Spanish.

Leon smirked and raised his gun. The laser dot touched the older Ganado on the side of the temple. The younger one stared blankly at the older one. Confused to see a red dot on his comrads side of the head. Next thing he knew, a gunshot filled the air. The bullet hitting his friend's temple caused the man to scream and tumble over the side of the brigde. He fell head first, causing him to snap his neck. Intant death.

"Yes! Score one for me and zero for you guys!"

The young male screamed in hatred and threw down his axe, missing Leon as he ducked out of the way.

"Ha! That's all you got! Wait don't answer that. I already know the answer!"

Leon fired at him, hitting him in the head also. The villager fell and met the same fate of the older one.

"Told you I knew the answer. That's two for me and Zero for the idiots."

Leon picked up the money they dropped and went back to the tunnel. As he walked on in the darkened tunnel, he saw in two spots where something shiny was. He shot them and picked up what fell. To his surprise, he found two more spinnels! Go Leon!

He continued down the tunnel till he came to a weedy open area. There was a old cryptic house about twenty feet away with a man just standing there with his unlit dynamite. Leon cautiosly walked to the sign post next to a open, run down shack. It was another gory, skull post.

_More booby traps. Typical._

He looked in the shack and saw a tripwire. It looked like his best course of action would be crawling underneath it and then avoid the bear trap in front of the other open door way. But that plan wouldn't be put to use since another villager nearvy spotted him by the shack. The man lit the dynamite and through it in the shack.

"Aaaw sh-t!" Leon cursed and flipped backwards as the dynamite blew up.

The walls were blown to smithereens, causing debris to go everywhere. The man by the old house lit his dynamite, raising his hand to throw it. Leon was quicker and shot the dynamite in his hands, causing the dynamite to explode. Blood and gore splattered the house.

Leon then ran to the broken shack and shot the beartrap, causing it to snap and no longer a danger. Meanwhile, the man who threw the dynamite at him in the first place lit another one and threw it. Leon shot it in mid air, the explosion sending him and the villager back some feet back. His ears were ringing as he sat up. The other guy was still on the ground groaning.

With a grown, Leon got up and walked over to him. He grabbed the last dynamite from the guy and took his lighter. He then lit it and stuffed it in the Ganados mouth and ran toward the old house. The man's eyes grew big as he realised where the dynamite was at. An explosion echoed through the valley.

Leon smirked and sneacked his way to the window. Inside, there was voices arguing in Spanish, all panicked at what they witnessed. Leon took out his case and grabbed the grenade he found in the village. He took the pin out and threw it through the window. Screams of alarm was heard before another boom was heard. Then silence. Leon looked inside and smirked as he saw piles of goo evaporate. With the danger gone, he then ran toward the small, barely standing house. To his annoyance, he found the front door locked with a big, rusty, old fashioned lock in place. He kicked the lock twice before it broke and fell down with a bang.

Slowly, he opened the door and quickly entered, checking left and right before proceeding. The place was a mess! Furniture broken and decaying was strung about. It was so obvious that nobody lived here for awhile now. Yet a lock was on the door. Hmmm. A puzzler. NOT!

Leon opened a small cupboard and found a jewel. In fact it was a cats-eye stone, and looked like it fit inside something. He took out his case and put it in the beers-tyne or mug... Whatever, it fit perfectly. He put it back and proceed down the hall. He found yet another tripwire that was attached to some dynamite. The agent rolled his eyes and stepped back a couple of spaces, and shot the dynamite. It exploded and left some debris and dust everywhere. He continued on till he came into another room.

This room was just as bad as the first one. And of course there was yet another tripwire.

_"Talk about overkill!" _Leon thought with a smirk. He does smirk a lot, doesn't he?

Anyways, he looked around and found more pesetas in which he put in his large leather pouch he found on the ground at the village. In the cupboard was a red herb in which he mixed with some herbs he found in the village. Well, he didn't mix it with all the herbs!

Leon paused, hearing a loud banging sound. It was coming through the walls. He saw a bookshelf poorly hiding a opening to another room. He pushed it aside and entered. The room was just as dirty and dusty like all the other rooms. The banging came from the old armoir in the corner. He slowly walked over to the old armoir, the banging getting much louder as he came much more nearer. He stopped when he reached it and stepped to the side. Anything could be in there. A possum, cat, possibly another cray local with a stick of dynamite. Another lesson he learned from Raccoon City is that you never open a door that's banging, unarmed. His gun ready, he opened the door quickly and pointed his gun at what fell on the floor.

A dark skin Spaniard was what greeted him, tied up and his mouth taped shut. Some of his dark, black hair partially covered his frightened eyes. He shook his head and tried to back away at first, but realised Leon wasn't a threat when he stopped pointing the gun at him. He had black hair down to his shoulders, brown eyes and some stubble on his chin, giving him that Latin lover look. _(Leon didn't noticed that, I did! He's into Claire! Remember_?)

Leon crouched down and ripped the tape from the man's mouth.

"Ouch! A little rough, don't you think? Ooph!" Leon flipped him over and began to untie him. The Spaniard asked hesitantly, "You're... Not like them?"

"No. You?"

The stranger rolled over and mumbled as he rubbed his wrists. Instead of answering the question, he said this, "Okay, I have one important question... Do you got a smoke?"

Leon shook his head while putting his gun in his holster. He responded, "Got gum."

They both turned their heads at the sound of approaching footsteps. What they saw did not make them happy. Two Ganados appear, staring at them menacingly. Then, a sound of much heavier footsteps approached. A abnormally tall fellow stepped in front of the two Ganados. He wore a large green trench coat, large commandos boots covered his very large feet, and was clearly bald. To complete the scary bad guy look, he had a long beard the went down to a point to his large chest. His one blue eye and red eye bore into the two humans. The red one seemed a little to Leon. It then occurred to him that it was fake.

Luis snorted and commented, "Perfect, the big che...ese?"

Leon looked at Luis strangely then looked at Mendez. He was holding a large picture frame with a picture of a block of Cheddar cheese on a plate. Mendez suddenly looked like he was on crack. He smiled grew impossibly wide as he said, "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!"

Leon's eyes grew wide at this strange occurrence. Suddenly, he suddenly burst out laughing while Luis stared in shock at the smiling Mendez.

"You've got to be kidding me! You're the most dumbest one yet! Ha! Ha! Ha! You made my day!"

Mendez shook his head as if he was just coming back to reality. He saw the agent laughing at him, a shocked Luis, and his henchmen gaping at him while looking at him uncomfortably. He looked down at his hands. Where did he get a picture of cheese? He suddenly felt like a over grown fool. And when things couldn't get any stranger, they did. He heard a voice that sounded like the red headed American girl.

She said evilly, "Thanks for the idea Silverfox3220! Everyone! This was Silverfox3220's wonderful idea! I can't take the credit for this one. Muah! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAA! Got CHEESE Mendez!"

Mendez looked freaked out and shouted in English, "Noooo! I don't got cheeze! Who's Silverfox3220?"

Silence filled the room. Then everyone started to laugh. And yes. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. That includes the henchmen.

"Well, boys! Looks like your boss is losing it!" Laughed Leon.

Mendez was very angry. He threw down the picture and began stomping like a two year old while shouting yet in English again, "STOP LAUGHING! Nobody dares to laugh at me! Be afraid! FEEEEAAARRR MEEEEEE!"

Luis rolled to his side and laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. Nobody heard the voice except for Mendez. He looked like a bigger fool than ever! HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!

From that point on, Leon didn't take Mendez seriously. But I'm getting ahead of myself. So here 's what happened. Leon took the distraction of Mendez yelling at his henchmen to run up and deliver a round house kick. This one, unlike the game, landed where it attended to go. Mendez fell over, stunning everyone in the room except for Leon. Any fear he had for Mendez was gone. He then quickly called Luis and started to run out of the room, with Luis behind him. But they didn't make it out of the house. Mendez had quickly gotten back up and followed them, filled with rage that Leon actually delivered a blow. Nobody has done that after he got the queen parasite in him. He was way past angry now!

He reached the guys as they opened the door and smacked both of them into the wall. They both fell unconscious. Leon had a small smile on his face though, still thinking it was funny when he was unconscious. Mendez turned around and glared evilly at his men and ordered, "This doesn't leave the room."

They trembled, getting the hint.

**Authors Note: I loved writing this chapter! I hoped ya'll enjoyed it as much as I did! I stayed up writing this because my head pain was gone for the moment, letting me think clearly as I wrote this. I again would like to say THANK YOU to Silverfox3220 for the idea with Mendez! I like the way you think! Muah!AHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! More flashbacks to come about the crazy town village! Yeeeeeaaaaah!**

**Disclaimer:I pick up a tape recorder on my desk. This is what it says,"The Resident Evil papers is in a top security computer enterprise in New York. Your mission if you so choose to accept it is to retrieve these papers without getting caught. Your support on this mission is Steve, Billy Coen, Mark, and Jill Valentine. Do not link these people with the characters on the game. Those characters are fictional. This message will self destruct in five seconds. Sheila threw the tape over her shoulder as it self destructed. This was just the beginning of my adventures. I don't own Resident Evil 4 or the characters, but maybe someday... Yeah RIGHT! **


	7. Chapter 6:Luis,the Merchant, and

**Authors Note:HEEEEELLLOOOOOOW! Sorry this chapter wasn't posted in the afternoon like I promised. I wasn't feeling good this morning which stopped me from going anywhere or doing anything. But now I feel better! I also was distracted by helping my mom cook her delicious herbal CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP! YUUUUM! It always makes me feel better! So again, sorry this chapter is a little late! **

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 6: Luis, the Merchant, and the start of Chris and Claire's adventure**

"Feeble Humans. Let us give you our power," a silky, smooth voice filtered in Leon's hazy mind. His eyes fluttered as a needle pricked his neck.

"Hahahaha! Soon, You will be unable to resist this intoxicating power," said the smooth voice. The purple liquid was injected into his neck, making his neck tingle with a burning sensation. Then he felt a sharp pain soot through his neck as the small egg was injected.

Leon jerked awake, sweating from the strange nightmare. His eyes scanned his surroundings frantically, trying to remeber where he was. Memories went through his mind quickly, the house with the nut-ball, the path, his mission, the village of madness, and the Big Cheese... Leon snickered, relaxing from that memory.

_Aah, yes. The Big Cheeseball. How can I forget him?_

Leon began to laugh.

The Spaniard woke up to Leon's laughter.

_What the?_

The handsome Spaniard asked irritably, "Why are you laughing?"

Leon's laughter turned into chuckles as he answered merrily, "Oh nothing. Just remembering our friend, the Big Cheese."

The stranger smiled and joined in the short merriment over Mendez. It was something neither of them would forget any time soon. After a minute of laughter, they both settled down and sobered up by their current predicament.

The Spaniard scowled and said, "Aye, yie ,yie! Crawl out of one hole, and into another!"

Leon nodded and turned his head and said in all seriousness, "You wanna tell me what's going on here?"

"Americanos, si? Now what brings a bloke like you into this part of the world? Oh! Aye, easy! Whoever you are."

Leon stopped testing the cuffs that bound him to the Spaniard and sighed. He grabbed the picture of Ashley and turned the picture as best as he could so the Spaniard could see it.

"Name's Leon. I've come here looking for this girl. Seen her?"

The man turned his head and looked down over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the picture.

"What are you supposed to be, a cop or something?" Fished the stranger.

Leon smirked at the guy's obvious way of trying to pry info out of him. Two can play at that game.

"Maybe." Leon replied, putting the picture away.

The Spaniard smirked, deciding to be more out front with him. Maybe he could get help from the guy, he seemed genuine enough. The spy he has been speaking to couldn't be trusted. Although he does sort've has the hots for her.

"Okay. Let me guess. She's the President's daughter."

It was more a statement than a question. Leon couldn't help smiling. This guy was good, he knew just what to say and not to say.

"Heh. That's too good for a guess. Want to start explaining?"

The guy turned his head and said seriously with a bit of drama, "Psychic powers... Nah! Heh! Heh! Just kidding with you me, amigo. I overheard one of the villagers talking something about the President's daughter at the church."

Silence hung in the room as Leon digested this bit of information. He finally broke the silence.

"And who might you be?"

"Me? I'm Luis Sera. Used to be a cop in Madrid. Now, I'm just a good-for-nothing guy, who's quite the ladies man."

"Why'd you quit?"

Luis scoffed. "Guah! Policea! You put your life on the line, nobody really appreciates you enough for it. Being a hero isn't what it's cracked up to be anymore."

Leon nodded and looked up at the ceiling as he remembered Raccoon City. "Used to be a cop myself. Only for a day though."

Luis turned his head and lifted an eyebrow. "And I thought I was bad."

Leon continued as the memories past resurfaced. "Somehow I managed to get myself involved with the incident in Raccoon City, on my first day on the force."

Luis felt sympathy for the ex-cop and asked, "That is the incident of the viral outbreak, right?"

Leon nodded his head.

Luis continued, "I think I've seen a sample of the virus in the lab down at the department."

Before Leon could question him about this bit of info, a bloody villager carrying an executioner's blade walked into the room, muttering crazy talk.

They tried to move back without much sucess. Luis spoke out, fear in his voice. "Do something cop!"

Leon irritably shot back, "After you!"

The man raised the blade above his head and gave a maniac shout as he swung down to kill the men.

"NOW!" Shouted Leon.

At the last moment, the two men stretched as far away from each other, causing the blade to break through the rusty handcuffs. They rolled away, the villager crying out in outrage. Luis looked at Leon and the villager. Then, he turned and ran, feeling a little guilty for leaving good Samaritan that helped him out of this tight jam. But after hearing all the talk about the Americana who has been killing all the Ganados left and right, he knew he could handle himself... Plus, he knew the ex'cop would ask him questions. He couldn't tell him what he has done. Besides, that spy and himself had an agreement. He had to get that sample... Even if he felt like such a coward. (I know that Luis didn't run off till after Leon killed the Ganado. But I didn't remember this till after writing a ways into the chapter. Sorry for the inconsistency!)

Leon angrily whatched Luis run away.

_Yeah! Like you really were a cop! _

His attention was turned to the Ganado who was coming at him with the bloody blade. He waited for him to be practically on him before he made his move. His leg shot up, catching the man in the stomach. Then, he grabbed the weapon and flipped the villager behind him. The man hit the wall with such force that his neck was instantly broken with a loud crunch. He fell to the floor and melted away.

Leon got up and rolled his neck around, stretching his aching muscles. He then wiped the dirt off his jeans. He was obviously in a different building than before. He shivered a little bit from the cold air. The Basta-ds stole his favorite jacket, too! Now, he only had on his black tactical shirt to keep warm, and that wasn't much at all. At least he still had his handgun and radio, but his case and shotgun was gone.

_Crap! _

He took out his radio and contacted Hunnigan.

Leon_: It's Leon. Sorry I couldn't get in touch sooner, but I was a bit tied up_.

Leon smirked at his little joke. Hunnigan didn't get it.

Hunnigan_: You're okay, right_?"

Leon_: I'm fine. There was a male civilian held captive. According to him, Ashley's in a church somewhere_.

Hunnigan_: What happened to him_?

Leon_: He managed to escape_.

Hunnigan_: Do you have a fix on the location of the church_?

Leon_: No, but apparently there's a secret passage in the village that leads there. I'm heading back to the village_. _Leon out._

Leon put his radio back in its holster. He remembered one of the notes he found in the farm telling of the secret passage. Now, all he needed was a key to that weird looking building in the village. He proceeded to walk out of the room, and started down the hallway. He stopped when a strange attired man looked through the open window at the end of the hall. Leon pulled his gun out and pointed it at the stranger. The man didn't flinch or looked afraid.

He just motioned with his head and said in his Europeon accent, "Over here.. Stranger."

He walked out of site, leaving a very curious Leon. He quickly finished walking down the hallway and turned the corner. On the small side desk was a box of rifle ammo next to a typewriter. He thought that a bit strange, remembering typewriters all over the place at Raccoon City. He then walked up to the table and grabbed the ammo, put in pouch on his utility belt, and sighed. He had one box of ammo left for his handgun, one box of shotgun shells which did no good if you had no shotgun, and two grenades clipped to his belt. He had one fire grenade and two flash ones in his case along with his herbs, but sadly he didn't have it anymore! He angrily pushed the door open and walked outside.

He knew this was probably a trap, but he was too curious to not see what was up with this wierd guy. He turned the corner and walked down the side of the house. When he reached the next corner, he got ready to fight for his life and whipped around it, weopan poised to shoot. The laser dot was on the lone man's head, but of course the guy ignored it.

"Welcome!"

Leon blinked and lowered the gun, his instincts told him there was no danger here, but he was still alert as he slowly approached. The man was waring a navy blue, hooded trench coat that went down to his ankles. He had his hood up over his head, giving him a mysterious look about him. But what really topped the whole mysterious stranger look was the purple wrap that covered his face, neck, and head. It covered all his hair from sight, keeping anyone from getting a defining description on him. The only thing Leon could see was his eyes, which was oddly yellow.

The man wore a large backpack, giving him a hunchback look. He was standing next to a torch that was lit. The flame was a eerie blue, yet it somehow suited this man and his business.

When Leon made it over to the man, the guy said with a happy tune, "Got something that might interest ya, Stranger. Heh! Heh! Heh!"

He dramatically pulled open his coat, revealling ammo gallore. Leon smiled and put his gun away.

The man chuckled and closed his coat, saying with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "That's not all, Stranger. Got more for ya to see."

He then pulled off his large, heavy backpack and got out a blanket. He unfolded the large blanket and laid it on the ground. Then the strange man proceeded to lay out each of his stock. There was regular, fire, and flash grenades. A map of the area, first aid spray, a large silver case, (Just like his, but larger) and to his viewing pleasure, a rifle with a scope attached to it and a larger, better scope next to it.

Leon untied his leather pouch and brought out the trinkets he found. 9 spinnels, a antich pearl necklace, and a old copper pocket watch.

The strange man's eyes got big and he said, "I'll offer you a fair price for them, Stranger."

And then the bartering began. After getting done with that bit of business, they moved on to the supplies. In the end, Leon bought the large case, the map, first aid, one grenade, one fire grenade, two flash grenades, and the rifle! The man then offered tune ups for his gun. Leon gave him the gun and watched with amazement as the merchant effortlessly upgraded his gun. He handed the gun back to Leon and brought out Leon's old case out.

Leon gave the man a accusing look.

The man held up a hand and said reassuringly, "Don't give me that look, Stranger. Those Ganados sold me your supplies. I didn't take them from ya. I was going to sell them back to ya, but I see a potential future business relationship that can be good for you and me. Don't want to start on the wrong foot in this arrangement. So here, take of your supplies... Except the case. I have use for this case."

Leon took his supplies out of his old case, happy to see the man didn't try to skimp out on him by keeping some of his supplies to himself. But most of all, he was glad to see his shotgun! He put his shotgun over his shoulder (it had a shoulder strap on it) and gave the merchant a nod of thanks. The man offered to tune up his shotgun, which Leon agreed to. It didn't take long for the him to get finished. Leon smiled as the man told him the upgrades. He was veeeery pleased with the advancements, but didn't care for the prices for both the gun and shotgun upgrades.

He put his shoulder hip strap of his case over his head andgrabbed his rifle and began to walk away. He stopped a few feet away and turned around and said, "I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't give it. I'm the merchant, that's all ya need to know."

Leon gave him a small smile. He kinda liked the guy.

_Huh. Merchant it is, then. _

As he walked off, the merchant called out, "Come back, anytime!"

Leon walked over to the wall and looked through the scope of his rifle. He put his sight on a villager on a roof of a small cabin in the distance. Leon stiffened his body and pulled the trigger.

**R**

**Chris and Claire**

Chris and Claire stepped out of the SUV and walked up to the broken bridge. They noticed a truck and car at the bottom of the ravine in the rushing river.

Claire frowned and said with irritation, "Now what? It took us an hour to get here, and now we have to find a different place to get around. That will take more time and that's one thing we don't have... Chris?"

She turned around and saw Chris bring out a small case. "Is that the surprise the merchant left you?"

Chris smiled and opened the black case. Inside was two grappling guns. As you readers probably figured out, they were the same type as Ada's. Chris handed one to Claire and walked to the edge.

"You point and whatever the laser lands on, shoot. It shoots out a serrated grappling hook with a thick, flexible steel wire. It can attach itself to wood and most metals, but be careful were you shoot. It'll kill or give a person a nasty wound. So don't shoot yourself in the foot. Oh, and one more thing. If you hold the trigger as the hook hits its target, you'll automatically zip-"

Chris didn't finish. Claire had already fired the gun, the hook hitting the wooden post of the bridge. She zipped away, almost giving Chris a heart attack. As she quickly made it to the ledge, she pulled a Ada and flipped over as the gun reached the edge of its wire. She smiled and waved at Chris. Chris grumbled and zipped his way there as well, except with a manly flip.

Chris glared at her and said angrily, "You didn't let me finish! You could have been ki-"

"Oh, don't be such a baby! I know what these things are and what they do. It's not that hard to figure out."

Chris harrumphed and started down the road, Claire smirking as she followed. They followed the path and found the three dead bodies of Leon's ambushers. Upon examining them, they could see they have been dead for at least three hours. One had no head and the rest were shot in the head or stabbed.

"Wow. Not a pleasant way to die" Claire commented.

Chris nodded in agreement, and told her to stay alert. As they walked down the path, they got this strange feeling of being watched. Chris brought out his fully upgraded Black-tail handgun as Claire brought out her fully upgraded Matilda handgun. The feeling of malice and hatred filled the air. The further they went up the path the heavier the feeling came that they were being watched by a foe who deeply hated them. They walked over the wooden bridge, more tense than ever. Suddenly, a cry broke the tense silence. They looked up and saw Two Men with Potato sacks over their heads with two holes that revealed their blood shot eyes. In their hands they wielded chainsaws!

As the maniacs jumped down from the edge, two villagers jumped behind them and wrapped their arms around both of them. The siblings struggled to get free, but the strength in the villagers arms were abnormal, giving even Chris a hard time to break away. The Chainsaw maniacs started to approach quickly, crying out with blood lust for the gore that was to come.

Chris felt his adrenalin pump faster in his veins, giving him the strength to suddenly wrench away from the surprised captor. He quickly dropped kick the villager and got behind the other one who had Claire, snapping his neck. He then grabbed Claire as one of the Chainsaw men swung at them, missing by inches. They ran back down the bridge with the chainsaw men on their heels. Claire let go of Chris's hand and reached in her side-pack, grabbing a flash grenade. She pulled the pin and dropped it, hoping to buy some time. A bright flash went off, causing the two freaks to cry out in pain, covering their faces and dropping their saws.

Claire noticed this and stopped. She grabbed her bowgun from her sidepack and aimed. She shot one in the head, the arrow imbedded in his head. He just shook his head and picked back up his weopan. Chris noticed his sister had stopped and ran back to her, grabbing her arm.

"Claire! What are you doing! Let's go! The house is just ahead!"

"Chris! It didn't kill him. That shot should have-"

The chainsaw roared to life, waking the other guy from his daze. Chris cursed and took off his case. (It's the same way like Leon's. The strap goes from shoulder to hip.) He grabbed the Riot gun and aimed it at the crazy chainsaw idiots. As they came closer, he fired. To his astonishment, they only staggered and proceeded to come for them.

"That should have killed them!"

"That's what I tried to tell you!" Claire yelled while getting her special arrows clip in her bow-gun. She then quickly raised it and fired. The arrow whizzed in the air and hit the chainsaw guy closest in the side as he picked up his chainsaw. The arrow made a small explosion, blowing away the entire side. Flesh, bone and blood sprayed everywhere. He screamed in agony and fell to the ground, never to kill again. The chainsaw maniac who now was charging at the young woman stopped and looked behind him. He screamed with anger and turned around only to see the barrel of Chris's Riot gun. Chris fired, blowing the man's head off. The body jerked and spasmed, falling to the ground as it still clutched the blade. Chris turned and looked at Claire, breathing heavily. The maniac's blood had splattered all across his face, making him look like a victim and not the victor. But he didn't even notice it.

"That was close. These are some tuff-"

"Chris! LOOK OUT!" Claire screamed frantically.

Chris turned around and saw a pick axe flying straight at him. He dove to the ground, but not before the blade swiped his arm, leaving a ugly gash.

Claire aimed and fired, shouting, "Nobody throws stuff at my brother but me!"

The Ganado was shot in the stomach. The arrow exploding on impact, delivering an ugly death. He screamed, trying to hold what intestines he had left inside. What was really gross was the a tail that swished back and forth, spraying a yellow, rancid goo. The strange man fell to the ground and melted away, till there was nothing but steam left.

Claire rushed over to Chris and knelt beside him. She checked his wound, gasping at the size of it.

"I'll be fine. I just need my first aid spray."

"Fine my a-s! You need stitches and first aid."

Chris shook his head, but let her take care of him. Claire quickly grabbed her med kit and started working on him. She quickly cleaned the wound and sprayed it with the first aid spray, and waited for it to stop sizzling before she finally stitched him up. She was glad that she took the time to learn from Rebbecca some simple first aid procedures the past few years. She couldn't do major stuff, just stitch and patch simple wounds. When she was finished, she wrapped his arm and patted his shoulder. Chris looked at his arm and smiled.

"Good as new. Thanks Claire."

Claire beamed as she got up, extending her hand out to Chris. He grabbed it and rolled down his sleeve. They walked over to where the villager's body was and studied the steaming ground.

"Was it just me, or did you see a tail whip around before he melted?" Chris asked.

"I saw it too. I wander how he melted like that... Looks like Umbrella's signature."

Chris looked doubtful. "I don't know. My gut tells me something else is going on here... Come on, let's get going. Every hour we take is an hour lost for Sheila."

"Right. Let's go!"

**R**

**Back to Leon**

Leon ran up to the chest and opened it. Inside was the second half of the weird key.

"Meirda!" Hollard a villager behind him.

He turned around as the villager jumped him, causing Leon to loose his balance and fall down back into the house. The added weight of the villager on top of him and hitting the ground from the height above caused the air to whoosh out of him. Both just laid there, too stunned. The villager looked at Leon and Leon looked at him. Then, the villager whipped out his knife and tried to stab Leon. But killing him wasn't going to be that easy. He grabbed the man's wrist and struggled for his life. The strength from the old villager was not making Leon's chances of survival good.

In a last ditch effort, Leon grabbed his own knife with one hand and stabbed the villager in his neck. The villager opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Just blood and a gurgling sound. He dropped his knife, giving Leon the oppertunity to push him off. Quickly, he stood up and took out his handgun. The man tried to pull the knife out, but was stopped when Leon shot him in the head. The inhuman villager stopped moving, his eyes turning blank as he died. Leon pulled out his knife before the Ganado melted away. He then proceeded to clean his knife, and stepped out of the house. He brought out the two pieces that would open the gate, and put them together. With a relieved smile, he ran up the hill and put it in the indention. The lock clicked as it unlocked. Now, the agent could finally get out of this area! After fighting thirty villagers for his life, he was ready to get out of the death trap.

Leon's mind went back to the Big Cheese... That lightened his mood considerably as he left to his next destination.

**Authors Note: Okay,I hoped you liked it. Not my best but I'm okay with it. I wanted to set up Leon's ties with the Merchant and Luis. The merchant is going to make alot of appearances cause I just plain like the guy! I always wandered who he was, and what he thought about Leon. I'm even thinking of writing a Prequel of this story. It'll tell the background of Mendez and the Merchant. Let's just say it'll answer alot of questions about the villains,the village, and the Merchant! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Please REVIEW! Annnnnnnnnnnd...REEEVIIEEW! Oh! I almost forgot. A flashback will be in the next chapter... I PROMISE! The village scene will told! El Yeeaaah! **

**Disclaimer: I walk up to my sapport team... WHAT THE? They look like the characters from... Aah, forget it. I'm just going to ignore it. After the introductions, we made our plans for the heist. After everything was in order, we suited up and headed for the destination. We were ready. **

**One hour later - Mark lowering me and - ANNOUNCER VOICE: This is a notice to Sheila (Hey! What's going on?) Your Disclaimer action antidotes are cancelled. Get back to your Resident Evil story. (WHAT! CANCELLED!) Yes cancelled. That is all. The lights go out, I'm left hanging. Me: HEY! YOU Can't leave me here!... Oh well. I don't own Resident Evil so THERE! Keep reading my story! BYYYYYYYYEE! **


	8. Chapter 7:The Big Cheese's House

**Authors Note: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Did ya miss me? I missed you! Well ladies and gents, I got another great chapter for yooou! It'll have me, Ashley, Chris and Claire, Leon and his crazy flashback, aaaaaaaaaaand... ! (Applause!) Grab your popcorn, your drinks, and please be prepared for some gore and violence. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnd... Round 2 between me and Ashley! Will we ever stop fighting? Who knows! You'll have to keep reading my story to find out! Oh! Also I like to say to silverfox, that video you told me about sounds HILARIOUS! I wish I could have seen it... It also gives me a idea for another fanfic! Muah! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! **

**Chapter 7: The Big Cheese's house.. Pueblo Sucks.. And another Flashback**

Leon looked around his surroundings, relieved to see that he was alone. After fighting off more villagers with a fetish for old dynamite, and trying to be extra careful not to step in all those bear traps, Leon was ready for a break. He walked inside the small cabin and sat down to catch his breath. His stomach protested loudly, mimicking the zombie dogs from Raccoon City. And no wander, since he hasn't eaten since 5:oo this morning. While patting his angry stomach, he peeked at his watch, and frowned. It was 4:00, way past lunch!

Luckily, he had the cure for his hunger problem. The agent brought out his case and took out his military ration. As Leon ate the not so tasty food, his mind went over all he has learned so far. The letters he found were quite disturbing. One certain envelope he found in the village revealed pictures of himself walking down the streets of Spain the previous day. They knew he was a agent for the American government, and exactly when he would be paying a visit to this deadly village. Sad to say, this was more proof that there was a mole in the government. And although this info was helpful, it wasn't easy to get.

FLASHBACK

Leon pushed the small dresser in front of the door. But that wasn't enough. The villagers were banging on the wooden boards that was nailed over the broken window. Spotting a empty bookshelf nearby, he quickly pushed it in front of the boarded up window. That should spare him some seconds to get ready for the mob.

The agent rushed up the old rotting staircase, and spotted the cause for the broken window, a ladder. He quickly ran to the window and shoved the ladder away from the window. The local that was climbing it screamed as he fell with the wooden contraption. There was no time to enjoy the pain on the fallen man as other matters of concern appeared. Leon quickly turned around and saw that more villagers were pounding on the other window. He then spotted the shotgun mounted on the wall and ammo on the bed next to him.

_Looks like the big guy upstairs doesn't hate me after all._

He grabbed the ammo and ran to the wall at the other side of the room. Grabbing the shotgun, he did a quick check to see if it was loaded. Looks like the big guy upstairs does love him, 'cause it was. He saw a grenade in the glass case next to him. Breaking the glass with the butt end of the shotgun, he reached in and grabbed it and quickly hooked it on his belt loop. With his boom-stick in hand and a grenade as back up, Leon was now ready for some violence.

He ran back to his corner where he could have a strategiic position to shoot anybody coming from downstairs and any unlucky freak that who came through the windows upstairs. The ladder was up again, and more villagers were at the window. He wandered where the Chainsaw guy would come from. He didn't have to wait long to find out, for the man himself chose the ladder. Which would have been great, except the villagers at the glass window decided to break through and join the party. Amongst the chaos, the maniac raised his chainsaw and charged. Meanwhile, a bearded villager decided to throw an hand axe at him.

Leon dodged the axe, but it caused him to lose time to shoot the chainsaw man. The man cried out in a happy, sadistic way as he swung his blade, tearing and ripping the flesh in his chest. Leon screamed, his handsome face contorted with the pain and agony he was experiencing. Reacting in the only way possible, the injured young agent kicked the evil, potato sack wearing Ganado in the family jewels. The maniac's eyes crossed; letting out a scream of his own as he dropped the running chainsaw, giving Leon the chance to grab it and get some much needed pay back. His ruby red blood was already soaking through his tactical shirt as he angrily brought the blade down on the man's shoulder. The villager screamed in agony as the blade tore through muscle tissue, bone, flesh and then through his lungs.

The crazed villager's dark blood covered Leon's shirt and face with it's smelly gore, but he was beyond carring. He was in survival mode. The blade stopped working as it reached the pelvis. Leon released the deadly weopan, stunned at what he just done. He didn't have time to feel guilty as the crap hit the van. The villagers broke through the door and the boarded up window, faces set in angry masks. Some villagers who came from the windows had watched the gruesome scene unfold. They didn't try to interfere until after the chainsaw quit working. Now, it seemed safe to attack the American intruder. But they would soon find out that it wasn't safe. Picking up his shotgun, Leon went and blew a path to the window with the ladder.

He quickly leaped through the window and landed the same way at the beginning of the adventure. But he couldn't bounce back from it as quickly. He had lost a lot of blood from the chainsaw attack, so he was getting very weak quickly. But he refused to show it. Refused to give up. He shot the last three shots at the crowed and dropped the shotgun, took out his grenade and threw it at a new crowd that came from the southwest gate. It killed all of them, but still left him with a huge crowd to defend against. He took out his gun and began to fire, taking his last stand. He then noticed to his growing horror that the people that died melted into a brown goo, and then evaporated.

"What the?.. That's new."

The villagers were angry as the agent refused to die. They couldn't get near him as he dodged their every tactic. Leon fought with as much intensity as a Spartan, never giving up. If he died, he knew that Ashley was doomed... And he'll never get to say goodbye to his friends or loved ones.. And Claire, his close friend since Raccoon City, she would never know the reason why it's been a year since they spoke face to face. Hell, it's been months since he spoke to her on the phone! He wouldn't blame her if she hated him even.

With the guilt and realization of how much he still wanted to do with his life, he put everything he had into fighting for survival. The call for life gave him that extra push, and caused a savage yell to rip from his lungs. The villagers hesitated, not wanting to get close to the crazy Americana. But their ringleader bravely stepped up and let out a yell of his own, boosting their moral just a bit. As Leon shot for his life, a church bell began to ring in the distance, causing everyone to stop their actions.

Leon looked around at his enemies; they all seemed to be in a trance. They dropped their weapons and began to walk to the creepy stone building. They all spoke in murmurs, ignoring Leon completely. He couldn't understand what they were saying since it was all in Spanish, but he did catch a name. The ringleader spoke in a deep voice and murmured, "Lord Saddler."

After they had gone, Leon stood there in amazement. He finally said, "Heh. Where's everyone going? Bingo?"

The last of the villagers left, closing the iron door behind them, then locking it. Now, the hero was completely alone.

Leon's knees buckled as the blood loss got to him. He quickly grabbed his case and got out his med kit. Everything he needed was inside the kit. Inside was his first aid spray, three green/red herbs that were crushed, mixed, then put into three plastic test tubes. A surgical kit and some wraps and bandages were set beside the herbs and medicine.

Gingerly, he took off his jacket and torn shirt. His flesh was torn and shredded badly; just looking at it was painful. The wound was 12 inches across, and deep and continuing oozing his blood. He himself was surprised to be still alive. But that status would change if he didn't take care of the wounds quickly. With shaky hands, Leon quickly cleaned the wound and applied the first aid spray. A groan escaped his lips as the special spray sizzled and burned like hell. He then proceeded to put a little water inside one tube, and shook it. The water and powder form herbs began to mix and thicken, slowly turning into some sort of luiquid-y lotion. Satisfied, he applied it to his wound. He tried not cry out in any more pain as he reached inside the wound to cover all the damage; succeeding partially. When that was done, he grabbed his surgical kit and began the last leg of his medical journey; sewing up the wound. With that last painful bit taken care of, he placed a bandage on it and sighed. It was done. The herbal and first aid combination began to do its work. He felt a little better, but was still weak.

With a loud groan, he stood back up and looked around in a daze. At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a yelloe plant growing in a pot next to the water trough. He stumbled to it and picked it up. It was the rare yellow herb he learned about while in survival training. It was sapposed to be the strongest herb of them all when you mixed it with the other two special herbs. Can't believing his luck, he took out his other test tube and mixed it with his green/red mixed herbs. Knowing that he couldn't face another angry mob, he quickly poured some more of the water from his canteen half way in the test tube, and shook it to create a herbal shake. Well, sort of. At any rate, after drinking it, he felt better than ever. In fact, he felt a little more energy then when he first arrived in this nightmare.

Smiling, he went back to get his jacket and shirt.

He stopped from putting on his black shirt, deciding it was useless and grabbed his tactical shirt out of his case. It was black too, but it was made out of a stronger material. Sort of like a wet suit for diving. It kept him warm, except for his arms since it was short sleeved.

Leon dressed quickly and slipped on his favorite jacket, then grabbed his case and slipped it back on. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to try, he walked on over to the creepy building and tried the metal door. As suspected, it was locked. And there would be no kicking down this thick, metal thing. So, he reluctantly turned around and looked at the bonfire. He flinched when he saw the body slowly roasting. Though he would prefer to stay away, he felt driven to get a closer look at the familiar dead body. With a deep, unsettled sigh, he took a step towards the burning bonfire. Then another and another.

The smell of burning flesh brought a rancid taste to his mouth. The sick feeling doubled when he recognized the poor soul. It was one of the cops that brought him here. His burnt face was twisted in agony, his clothes was melting into his skin. He didn't ware any glasses, so he had to be the passenger, but then again the glasses could have been lost when the car fell to their doom. Either way, this was a worse death than the one he thought the cop suffered earlier. Leon coughed as the smell of burnt flesh began to imprint itself in his nostrils and clothes. He stepped back a couple of steps to get away from the smell.

With a quesy stomach, Leon turned away and looked down at his reflection in the water trough. The immage of his handsome face covered in the villagers blood nearly had him losing his breakfast from much earlier that morning. After a moment of controling the urge to vomit, he debated if he should clean his face with the disgusting water or leave well enough alone. But staring at his reflection, seeing someone elses blood on his face brought the memories of how zombies in Raccoon City looked. He quickly dipped his hands in the water and roughly washed his face. The grimace on his face never changed as the dirt and bloody gore began to come off, revealing his healthy skin. When done, he took the end of his shirt and dried his face. Looking back at the water trough, he shuddered. Despite that he had to he wash his face with this questionable water, seeing a less zombie looking reflection in the surface of the liquid was worth it. One thing's for sure, he would never drink this water!

Ready to get as far away as possible from this crazy town, he grabbed his radio and contacted Hunnigan.

Leon: _Hunnigan. I have some bad news. I've confirmed the body of an officer. Somethings happened to the people here._

Hunnigan: _Leon, you need to get out of there. Look for a tower. Follow the trail near it._

Leon: _Got it._

Leon put the radio up and took one last look at the officer.

"Rest in peace."

END OF FLASHBACK

Leon got up and took out his handgun. After eating his meal and taking a crappy trip down memory lane, he was ready to get a move on. He walked out of the cabin and sighed. Another another skull sign. He looked carefully around, determined to see the traps before taking another trap. He found (not surprisingly) another trip wire between two trees, attached to a couple sticks of dynamite, and two bear traps under the wire. Leon smiled.

_They're finally learning._

Two crows flew down. One landing on the dynamite, and the other between the bear traps. Leon HATED CROWS! After Raccoon City and their stinking virus infected the crow populace, he has never looked at a crow the same again! Raising his gun, the agent did a mental happy jig and fired at the dynamite trap. The old dynamite exploded, causing blood and feathers to scatter in the air with debris.

Leon gave a wry smile and walked up to the beartraps. They were unaffected by the small blast. He quickly took care of them, tripping the traps and continued up the path. All the while ignoring the black feathers that floated around him like snow.

**R**

"Oooooh! Give me a hooooooome, where the Buuuuffalo rooooaam! Where the deeeer and the antelope plaaaaaaay!" Sheila sang with boredom.

After a round of staring at Ashley and trying to creep her out, the President's daughter finally learned to just ignore her. That sucked for Sheila since now, she had nothing to do. She tried to start a conversation with her, trying to see what the White House was like. But Ashley just stuck her nose in the air and replied that she'll never know cause she was just a hooligan, and then said nothing more.

So there she was, thinking about home and her friends and family. She had a lot of happy memories to dwell on, so she decided to think about the guys she practically grew up with. Chris and Scotty! Her brothers in arms and partners in crime! (No not really! They just get mischievous sometimes and play pranks on their parents! He! He!) They were like the three musketeers! Her buddies! They haven't been spending as much time together since their older sister Candice got married. She was one of Sheila's best girlfriends! (Not the gay kind of girlfriend! The best friends 4 ever girlfriends! Sheesh!)

Chris was two years younger than her and Scotty was four years younger. But they were just like family! Even though work perhibited them from spending as much time together, they did see a lot of each other at chuch. Just thinking about them brought the memory of them singing crazy songs and changing the words around! HAHAHA! HAAA! It was fun to do that! One time, they heard on a movie where a bad guy sung this song with a twist to it. Aaaaaah! Those were the days. That's why she was singing the very song they always sang together. She didn't sing the verse the way she and her guys did. She didn't want to scare Ashley any more. It wouldn't be worth it when Leon finds Ashley curled in the fetal position crying, having a nervous breakdown. That will be kinda hard to explain.

"Will you shut up! I'm trying to take a nap!"

Usually Sheila was well behaved and when told to be quiet she listened. Her mom was a very good teacher in manners. But this wasn't home and she was on edge. Besides, when someone tells her to shut up... She would just get louder.

"Where seldom is heeeeaaaaard! Not a discoooouuurrrrriging woooorrd! And the skiiies are not cloudy aaaaaaaall daaaaaaay!"

"Hah! You sound like a dying pig!"

Actually, Sheila was a okay singer, was even in a choir when she was younger so that didn't bother her. In fact... This gave her an eevvviiiiiiiillll idea! She could sing the mean version of the song and just put Ashley's name in it instead! She looked at her watch. It was 4:10 p.m., so she had time before Leon got there...

_Well God, I know I'm supposed to be kind and love other people... But does it count for game characters? I just have to get it across to the brat that I AM NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH! _

Sheila raised herself to her feet and started to sing in what her and her friends call the Country eeeeeevil voice.

"OOOOOOOOOH! Home on the RAAAAAAAANGE! Where ASHLEEEY'S all TIED UP IN CHAAAAAAAAAIIIINS! IIIIIII cut up her SIIIIIIIDES! AAAAAANNNND I RIP off her HIIIIDE! AAAAANNNND the next day I think I'll Doooooo it AAAAGAAAIIN!"

Ashley's eyes grew huge with panic. She slowly stood up and pointed at her and said, "You're crazy! You need to be put in a nut hospital! Get away! Stay BACK!"

Sheila edged closer with a crazy smile and said simply, "Boo!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ashley began running in circles, tripping every time Sheila put her foot out. Sheila just watched her with amusement. This was better than TV! But after five minutes of it, She wandered if she pushed her to far.

She finally decided to put a stop to the craziness before the Ashley actually hurt herself.

"ASHLEY! I was just kidding!"

Ashley stopped and looked at her, panting.

"Okay... Don't do it again!"

Sheila laughed as Ashley tripped over her feet and fell on her face, she had stuck her nose up in the air which is reason for her clumsiness.

Sheila walked over and helped her up, saying, "I'm not so bad once you get used to me, prissy. I'm also not crazy... Ooooor aaaam I?"

Ashley's eyes grew wide as baseballs at this statement when she saw Sheila looking veeery serious about her statement. The teenager turned around and skipped back to her wall.

Sheila sat down, ready to just think about home when Ashley said under her breath, "Dumb Redneck."

Sheila pointed at Ashley and said with horror lacing her voice, "Oh CRAP! ASHLEY YOU GOT A GREY HAIR!"

Ashley screamed and jumped around, trying to pull her hair out like it was some disgusting growth. She reminded Sheila of a monkey that was trying to do the Hocky Poky.

She held back her laughter untill Ashley started shaking her hands, saying, "Noooo! I'm too young for this!"

That did it for Sheila, the laughter coming out like a flood. Ashley stopped and finally realised that she fell for the joke. Hook, line, and sinker!

"Just you wait, girlie! I'll get you back!"

"Yeah, sure! And I'm the queen of England!"

"I will, you little twerp!"

"The name's Nunya!"

"Aright. Nunya!"

"!"

Sheila's laughter continued on to her Nemesis's deep seeded irritation.

**R**

Leon stared at the strange door before him. It had no door handle, and had a green, crystal ball placed at head level.

"What is with these people? Every evil place I go to is filled with strange locks that requires strange keys or passwords!"

Leon noticed that the crystal ball had a weird shape in the middle. He touched the ball and found it could roll, changing the shape. He looked at the strange symbols on the metal door, recognising that the locked door in the creepy stone building in the village had the same symbol on it. Leon studied the ball and pushed the ball up. The shape started to look a little like the insignia more and more. He them moved the ball left. The shape matched perfectly with the other symbols on the door. The door unlocked and slowly slid into the slit in the wall, revealing a not too shabby room.

He stepped in, taking note of the portrait. The agent wasn't artistic, but even he wouldn't buy the painting. The man struck Leon as full of himself and sinister. He shook his head and resumed snooping. He found a key with the strange insect ingsignia that was on practically all the doors in this area.

"Weird."

As he turned around, he saw a letter on the bed. He walked over and picked it up. Then, he began to read it, hoping to get more insight on these inhuman people. What he found did not bode well with him.

_As instructed by Lord Saddler, I have the agent in confinement. But why keep him alive? I do not fully understand what the Lord's intentions are. I was hoping to sway my Lord's mind, but he told me to not question his wishes. I asked for forgiveness and kept silent about the subject. I despise that agent!.. And he dared to laugh at me? But I will not dwell on the matter any longer. I will keep him alive as long as necessary._

_I would, however, think the Lord would keep them separate; not confine them together as has been ordered. I don't expect Luis would trust a stranger, but if by chance they did cooperate, the situation could get a bit complicated. _

_If for some reason, an unknown third party is involved, I don't think they'd let a chance like this slip by. But maybe it's all Lord Saddler's ploy-leaving us vulnerable so that this third party will surface. If they even exist that is..._

_It's an unlikely possibility; but if a prowler is already amongst us, then our plans could be ruined. Maybe this silverfox3220 is part of this conspiracy? No. I will think of that no longer. It's probably just paranoia. Despite that, I guess the Lord thinks it's worth the risk, if we're able to stop whatever conspiracy is at work._

_At any rate, it's the Lord's call. We will trust his judgment as always_.

Leon stored the note in his file book. If the Cheese's fears are true, than that means trouble for him. He also learned that the Cheese is cracking up. Going on about that silverfox. First signs of a nervous breakdown. Leon laughed and drew out his gun and slowly opened the metal door, forgetting he left the key on the bed. As he slowly walked through the door, he heard voices speaking in rapid Spanish. The voices seemed to have a cheerful tune. He closed the door quietly without looking and began to carefully walk down the hall.

Leon sensed someone was behind him and quickly turned around. A large hand grabbed his throat and lifted him up in the air. Mendez growled, causing the voices down stairs to cease.

Leon struggled, his legs kicking in the air, trying to find solid ground. His hands tried to pry the strong, cold fingers off his throat. Buy it was no use. The fingers were like glue, refusing to be moved even an inch. He struggled to breath, trying to stay alive. But as the seconds passed, his body began to shut down. He closed his eyes, the lack of oxygen causing him to start to lose the battle for consciousness. Eyes fluttering, he felt his peeper starting to burn in a weird way. Unknown to him, his blue eyes turned red.

Mendez cocked his head. For a moment, he actually thought he saw this imbecille's eye color revert to a crimson color. That was but one of the signs of the gift that Lord Saddler offers. But the Lord would never do that. Not for this outsider.

Leon's eyes slowly opened, revealing to Mendez's disgust, the red eyes of Las Plagas. Mendez reluctantly let him go, sparring his life. Now he knew why Lord Saddler wanted him alive. This agent was a brother! Still, he didn't have to like it.

"You carry the same blood as us, it seems. But nevertheless, you're an outsider. Just remember, if you become unpleasant to our eyes, you'll face severe consequences." Mendez pointed at him as he finished.

Leon sat on the floor, catching his breath as Mendez went back to his bedroom. After a few moments passed, the dizziness and pain passed as the oxygen situation dissipated. Getting up, Leon grabbed his throat and gazed at the door. He didn't really fear the Big Cheese, but what he said about the same blood really caught his attention. The big Oaf was just another crazy to him, but da-n! The guy had a grip!

Leon rubbed his throat, thinking about the words the village cheif had said.

"Wha - What? Same blood?"

Leon's radio beeped, breaking through his troubling thoughts. He slowly grabbed it and answered the call.

Hunnigan_: Leon, I've been able to get some new info that might help you_.

Leon_: Fill me in_.

His voice was strained, but Hunnigan didn't seem to notice.

Hunnigan_: Apparently, there's a religious cult group involved. They're called the "Los Illuminados_."

Leon_: Los Illuminados? Heh. That's a mouth full. Anyway, I had an unexpected run-in with the Big Cheese of this village,"_Leon said with a grin. Big Cheese... Yup! Still brought a smile to his face.

Hunnigan_: But your okay, right_?

Leon_: Yeah... He could have killed me, but he let me live... And he mentioned something about me carrying the same blood as them. Whatever that means_.

Hunnigan began to look really worried, not liking this piece of news at all. Leon wanted to change the subject for now.

Hunnigan_: Carrying the same blood_...

Leon_: Anyway, there are more important things than solving riddles right now_.

Hunnigan_: You're right. Hurry and find that church Leon_.

Leon turned the radio off and put it away. He grabbed his gun that he dropped and started back down the hall, but stopped when he realised he left the key in the room! He looked back at the door with a worried frown. There was no question about it, he needed that key! Stupid Cheese-ball and his strength! Leon reluctantly walked back and slowly opened the door, entering the room. But as he walked inside the room with his gun raised, Mendez rushed up from the side and delivered a powerful blow across Leon's cheek.

Leon flew through the air, his finger squeezing the trigger. A bullet hit Saddler's portrait square in the forehead. As the agent fell to the ground, his gun was flung from his hand across the floor. Mendez stepped toward his pray, gleefully anticipating killing this pest once and for all. Leon tried to sit up, but Mendez's very large booted foot pushed him back down, laying heavily on his chest. Yet again, he found himself at this nut's mercy.

Leon growled as he felt Mendez apply more pressure, causing great pain to shoot out from his stitched wound. Unwillingly, Leon cried out in pain, soon cursing the giant man. Mendez smiled until the agent grumbled aloud that he couldn't believe that this cheesy guy was actually going to kill him.

"I-urg.. mean... Come on! Ugh!... My death certificate is going to say.. Ouch!.. Going to say cause of death: Died by cheese... HA! (Groans)"

Mendez gritted his teeth and decided to just end this... Bang! Bang! Two shots wrung out. Mendez turned around and saw a beautiful woman dressed in a long red dress, butterflies stitched in the velvety material. The woman smiled and put her gun in her holster as the Big Cheese sprinted toward the window. She pulled the trigger on her hook shot gun (Like the ones Claire and Chris have) and zipped up to safety as Mendez broke through the window.

She smiled as she flipped up to the top and ran to the other side of the roof.

"That's two you owe me Leon... Although, I won't mind collecting my debt from you... Sooner or later," the woman said with a sensual smile.

Leon dloely got up while holding his chest. He only caught a glimpse of the woman.

"Woman in red... Somehow familiar."

It couldn't be her. That would just prove the nasty rumors he heard of her being alive and working for Wesker. Shaking his head to get rid of the cobwebs, he quickly located his gun by the bed. He then took what he came back in there for, the key.

"Time to move on."

**R**

Cris went in first through the gate, then signaled to Claire that the coast was clear. They walked down the path, spotting the village up ahead. It was empty like one of those ghost towns you hear about on TV, making Claire shiver as they walked into the little village of Pueblo.

"It's quiet.. Too quiet." Chris commented.

Claire looked at the smoking pile of ash in the middle of the village. Nothing remained of the sight that Leon had discovered there. Chris began to scout around, noticing bullet shells and shotgun shell on the ground.

"Claire, over here. You see all the shell casings? Somebody was putting up quite a fight here."

"Yeah, they did. I guess they got the same welcome we did."

Chris nodded and took out his map. According to his map, there were different ways out of the village. He just have to figure which way led to Sheila, and where would she be held at. Claire looked over the map with him, and pointed at the ways where Leon will appear in the next chapter.

"What about that one?"

"Yeah, I guess there's no harm in trying... Maybe we should split up, cover more ground."

Claire gave him a nasty look. Chris winced. After their long separation all those years ago and finding each other at the Arctic Base, Claire had gotten pretty strict on separating in dangerous situations. Or separating period. He understood that, he really did. But time was crucial. So, the older brother gave his reasons for the suggestion.

"I know you don't like it, and niether do I. But we have a lot of ground to cover, and little time to cover it."

"Don't you think I know that? But you forget that splitting up in a situation like this is dangerous! We both agreed that this was probably a set up by Wesker, trying to get to you and me. Now is not the time to do anything as risky as the devide and conquer plan, Chris."

Chris new she had several good points. But he had a feeling that the longer they took, the harder it would be to get Sheila out of here safely. But the look Claire gave him was what made him give in. He couldn't mistake the fear that showed from her eyes. Fear for his life if they split up now. He consented with a smile.

Claire gave a smile of her own as they walked up the path with the locked door. When they reached it, they found out it was locked, making Chris just more ticked off at this situation.

"Well, you see? We would have still had to stay together after all."

Chris grumbled and kicked the door.

"Meirda!" (Die!)

They both swung around to see a bunch of villagers running up the path, wielding their axes, pitchforks, and their pick axes. Chris grabbed a grenade off his belt and pulled the pin, then threw it far in the air. It landed right in the middle of the crowd, exploding with good results. Those that didn't get blown to smithereens were blown away, dazing and wounding them. The Redfield then took out his TMP from his case as Claire grabbed her Uzis from her thigh holsters. (The same weopans she found in Veronica!) They ran down the path, shooting with a bloody accuracy. The bullets mowed down the crowds, yet still ten more seemed to pop up to replace each one that died. Bodies melted and sizzled as Chris and Claire fought their way to the house across from the one Leon used. Claire threw a flash grenade as Chris kicked open the door.

They ran inside, and as Claire shot the shiny padlock off the metal door, Chris moved the small dresser in front of the door. Claire peered inside the small room. She found hand gun ammo on the table and two boxes of shotgun shells. She left the room and handed the ammo to Chris.

As Chris took out his Riot gun, he spoke to Claire earnestly, "They got us surrounded! Prepare to fight with everything you got!"

Claire nodded and got her weapons loaded up. Her heart was racing as villagers tried to break down their makeshift barricade. She heard several voices shouting and speaking in Spanish. The knowledge that she and her brother were in a tight spot wasn't helping in the hope department. Nor was the clear mistake they made by choosing this house with no window to leave through if things got too heated... But she has been in worse situations before... Though at the moment that thought didn't cheer her up in the slightest.

An axe broke through finally, letting them catch a glimpse of the outside. Chris ran up to the door and stuck the barrel of his riot gun through the hole. He fired at the Ganado who was stupid enough to look at the gun. Blood, bone and brain matter covered the faces of the villagers. None seemed to notice it. Putting his Riot gun on the desk and taking out his Black-tail, he fired through the hole; killing several villagers as he pumped them full of lead.

He was doing pretty good till he heard the chainsaw roaring to life. Cursing, Chris backed up and reloaded his gun. Then he holstered it and grabbed his Riot gun.

"Come on! We got to go in the other room!"

They ran inside quickly. He lifted the bed and laid it sideways in front of the door. This way they hindered the mob while having a perfect view to shoot. They got away from the door, hearing the chainsaw breaking through the wooden door. ThIt wasn't long before they heard the villagers pounding on the metal door. The bed blocked the door pretty well, but they saw a dirty hand slowly push the door open. A potato sack head had peaked through. The siblings recognised this as another chainsaw freak. Apparently, these people watched 'The Texas Chainsaw Massecure' movie way too many times.

Chris qickly ran up and began blasting away at his head. Soon there was only a bloody stump left of the villager. Problem solved.

Backing up, Chris waited for more locals with a death wish. Every time a villager poked his or her head through, Chris and Claire would immediately blow the heads off or wound them. Either way, they were doing great. It seemed the villagers were idiots since they kept coming. But even idiots eventually learn a new trick. Or in their case, their less-idiotic-but-still-a-Moran ring leader appeared and stopped them. He gathered them around and passed out boxes of grenades. Chris and Claire were getting nervous from the sounds of only feet, but no angry voices.

"I don't like this. They're up to something... Pueblo sucks!," Claire stated nervously.

Chris agreed. This wasn't good.

He was right. The villagers were stacking the dynamite boxes in the house and in front of the room they were hiding in. Things were definitely going to get complicated.

**R**

Leon grabbed the wood that barred the entrance way. He was finally going to reach the village. After facing another battle with a chainsaw idiot and his little mob, he could finally get to his destination. He was troubled though. Over the past few minutes, he's heard lots of gunshots and shouting of villagers in the Pueblo village.

It could be the intruder, which meant the third party was in trouble. Time to pay back his thanks for saving his life back at the Cheese's house. He readied his shotgun and ran through the gate.

**Authors Note: Sorry the chapter was late again! I was reeeeaaaly busy today. I was going to finally sit down and finish it at 7:oo p.m., but my dad wanted to watch some movies. I'm glad I did. We haven't had time to do that lately. Aaanywhoo, I hoped you liked the chapter! I know it was pretty obvious who the lady was, but I just like the introduction of her to be a little mysterious since she is a mystery. Don't worry that she still has the hots for Leon. His heart will be Claire's, I promise! Please RREEEEEEVIIIEEEEEW! **


	9. Chapter 8:What Are You Doing Here!

**Authors Note: Muah! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! Yes, read my pretties! READ! Okay, enough of my craziness, here's my awesome chapter. As always, Review! Review! REVIEW! Enjoy fellow gamer fans!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 9: What are you doing here? **

Leon hurried through the gate, expecting a ton of villagers to bombard him. But nobody did.

_"Must be busy attacking the mystery guest,"_ Leon thought grimly.

He ran down the path and saw anther mob of villagers surrounding the house where Chris and Claire was holed up in. To his horror, the ringleader from earlier was passing out boxes full of dynamite. The Ganados were running back and forth between the house and the leader.

Leon took out his case and brought out his rifle. It was time to put that trouble maker and his village buddies out of commission! He looked through the scope and aimed it at the ringleader, who was holding the trigger to blow up the house. He fired, destroying the switch in the villager's hand. The ring leader shouted with frustration, and looked dead on at the troublesome a intruder. He pointed at him and screamed in Spanish for his fellow Ganados to kill the dreaded agent. Half the crowd ran towards Leon, but didn't get far as they were sniped down.

The ringleader then went to drastic measures, taking out a lighter and running toward the house to kill the intruders; willing to sacrifice himself as the parasite in him demanded. Leon saw this and threw down his empty rifle and grabbed his three flash grenades and put them on his belt. He grabbed his case and put it on while running toward the crowd. When he reached the crowd, he used one flash of the grenades. The stunned crowd was too busy groaning and covering their faces to stop Leon as he ran threw with determination to get to the suicide Ganado.

He entered the door and kicked the villager in the back before he could light the dynamite. The ring leader dropped the lighter and screamed at him with hatred in his voice. Leon easily dogded the villager's fists, taking advantage of his foe's sloppy movements. He took out his knife and stabbed deeply in the ringleader's knee, twisting it for good measure. The villager screamed and held his leg in pain. With deep satisfaction, Leon then punched the man in the face as hard as he could, knocking him flat on his back.

The villagers outside woke from their daze and ran in the house. Leon was prepared and threw the flash grenade down in the house, turning his head and closing his eyes. The villagers screamed and cowered away, swaying while covering their eyes. Leon then bent over and broke the ringleader's neck. Hearing the metal door banging as the captors tried to get out of the tiny room, the agent immediately warned them about the danger.

"Stop! There's boxes of old dynamite stacked up against the door. If you knock the boxes over, you'll blow us to kingdom come! Just hang on! I'll get you out of there in a minute."

Leon then round house kicked the villagers up front to get their attention. They fell back and made a bunch of villagers fall down. This gave the agent a chance to run out of the house.

He grabbed his shotgun and shouted, "Out here you ugly Basta-ds!"

Upon hearing the loud mouth intruder's voice outside, the villagers all ran out to tear him apart. The Ganados were anticipating the blood bath. But the only blood bath that would occur would be their own. Leon smiled and began firing at the crowd. When he had to reload, he would throw out a fire grenade, burning the villagers who came near him. With only the severely wounded to take care of, he quickly finished them off without further complications. At last, there was peace. For the moment that is. He quickly ran back inside the house and moved the boxes out of the way.

When done, he opened the door, saying, "Nothing like a little fighting for your life to get the heart-"

He didn't finish, too stunned upon seeing who was standing before him.

Leon, Chris, and Claire just looked at each other for a second or two. Then they all spoke at once, "What are you doing here?"

Chris smiled and grabbed Leon and gave him a bear hug.

"Leon! Am I ever glad to see you, buddy!"

Leon smiled and hugged him back. "Yeah, I guess it's nice to see your ugly mug! What are you guys doing here?"

Chris sobered and answered, "Looking for a friend. A couple a nights ago, Sheila was kidnapped. She was the girl we told you about."

Leon nodded somberly. He remembered Chris telling hm about how his sister and himself had gotten really close to this girl and her family after the airplane crash. For two years, they have kept tabs with the teen and her family.

"So, what brings you here? A mission?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. My first mission. I'm here to-" Leon paused.

This was a top, secret mission. Leon trusted Chris and Claire with his life, but his training wouldn't permit him to spill the beans. He felt slightly guilty, hoping that they would understand.

"What? You're too good to tell your friends about your mission now? Humph. Figures. Now that you're a secret agent, you think you're high and mighty!" Claire accused angrily.

She was extremly happy to see Leon, but all her hurt feelings that she felt when he didn't write to her but wrote instead to Chris, was still fresh. And, he only spoke to her a few times on the phone! Claire looked away, not wanting Leon to see the hurt in her eyes.

Leon expected that. He did deserve her tongue lashing since he avoided writing and calling her. But the truth of the matter was that he was really confused when the last time he saw her, just before leaving for his training. He had developed new feelings for her, but didn't want to admit it. Basically, he ran. But that was then, he was a lot more mature now.

But he didn't want to admit Claire was right, so he replied angrily back, "Hey! I never said I was better than you! And I didn't abandon you, I was just busy. You know, Traaaaiiining."

"Oh, pleeaaase! You-"

Chris rolled his eyes at the two arguing so called adults. It was clear that they were crazy about each other, but too stupid to realise that they shared mutual feelings! Sometimes, he thinks that he just needs to lock them in a room together with two pillows to knock each other around, to get out all that unhealthy frustrations! Then they could admit their feelings. But alas, they weren't as smart as him. After watching them fight for a few minutes, Chris decided to intervene.

"Oh, children!"

They both turned around and shouted, "WHAT?"

"Can't you two wait for the Dr. Phill show to fight? We gotta go. And Claire, you know that Leon isn't allowed to give info on a mission. And Leon, man, you do need to give us information. We're stuck in this together. It would help if you can give us something. You know you can trust us."

Both looked embarrased at their behavior. They looked at each other shyly, then turned to Chris.

"You're right, Chris. Let's go, I'll tell as much as I can when we're in a safer spot."

Chris nodded and looked at Claire.

"Yeah, you're right. We do need to get going... And Leon, it's good to see you again."

Leon smiled and touched her cheek lovingly, "Yeah. It's good to see you again... Claire."

Claire's heart beat picked up tempo at Leon's touch and words. Chris glared at them. Just because he wanted certain feelings to be acknowledged, didn't mean that he liked the blond to get touchy-feely with his baby sister. It's a big brother thing. He went and tapped on Leon's shoulder.

"Let's go."

They left the room and exited the house. They heard villager's shout to their left.

"Crap! This way!" Leon hissed.

He led them to that creepy stone building and unlocked it. They quickly ran inside; Leon locking the metal door. The door banged for a little while, then ceased as the villagers gave up. They sighed. At least they were safe for the moment. Taking in their surroundings, they began to look around the room for items. After grabbing the money and passing out the ammo, Leon began to tell his story.

"A couple of days ago, the President's daughter was kidnapped from her college. This happened when I just got through with my training. I was to take up my duties of protecting the President's family when the kidnapping occurred. Intel had no clue who took her, why, or where. Then, we got this anonymous tip, a note in fact. It told us that Ashley was seen here in these parts. Some pictures proved that fact to be true. Then the letter went on to tell us that there was a mole in the government. That's why you never heard a thing that Ashley has been kidnapped. We can't risk the leak in our department to know what we're doing, and what exactly is involved. Especially since Spain's government is willing to turn a blind eye to my infiltration on their turf, as long as we keep thing's on the down low. That's why I'm the only one here."

Chris looked pensive as Claire put her hand on Leon's arm. She felt a little guilty for laying in on Leon like that.

Leon put his hand over her own and smiled. He started to look Claire from head to toe, noticing how her outfit didn't hide her wonderful curves in the slightest. She had on tight fitting black jeans that molded to her like a second skin, a black, tactical long sleeve shirt (Like Leon's, but more feminine), a bullet proof vest with pockets, a side pack like the one from Code Veronica, leg holsters that held her Uzis, and side holster that held her punisher. The other holster held her trusty Broken Butterfly Magnum, (One of her favorites!) and last but not least, her Rambo knife in her belt sheath. Basically, she looked oh so deadly and hot to Leon. His kind of woman.

Chris noticed the look Leon was giving Claire. In typical big brother tradition, he stepped up to Leon and made a low sound in his throat. Leon came out of his daze and smiled sheepishly at Chris. But Redfield only scowled, he didn't like anybody looking at his little sister like she was a slab of meat.

"Soooo. I told you guys my story. Now you know."

"Yes. I do." Chris gave a knowing look at Leon.

Leon cleared his throat and said, "We better get going."

Chris nodded and spoke while opening the door to the smaller room, "If you ask me, it sounds that our paths didn't cross by accident."

He then preceded to tell Leon of the note addressed to him and Claire. The agent frowned as he opened the secret trapdoor that led to the secret passage way.

"Definatley sounds like a trap for you guys. We better stick together. Who knows who might show up."

"Where are we going?" Claire asked as she jumped down to the ground without even trying the ladder.

"The church. That's where they're keeping Ashley, so more than likely they will have your friend there."

Chris smirked as he jumped down.

"I hope this Ashley isn't a stuck-up snob. Sheila might do some damage if she is."

Leon jumped down and looked worried. "What kind of damage are we talking here?"

Claire gave Chris a dirty look and replied reassuringly, "Nothing, really. Sheila's really sweet and funny."

Chris says under his breath with a snicker, "Yeah, sweet and funny like a rattle snake."

Claire punched him as they walked down the tunnel.

"What? Just joking!. Honest... Or am I? Hahahahahahahaaaa!"

Claire and Leon give him a What-The-Heck look.

"What?"

"You soooooo picked up too much from Sheila."

Chris grinned and walked behind them happily. Let them believe what they want. No way did he pick up mannerisms from a younger girl. If anything, she piked up things from him!

They walked through a small open area and continued forward, wondering briefly where that little lamp came from that hung from the ceiling. But this was a secret passage way, so a little light along with the candles here and there was too be expected. Still, the place wasn't the most pleasant. It was creepy, dark, wet, and too earthy. It reminded Chris of the" Journey into the Center of the Earth" story. He half expected mole people to jump out and say hello.

They walked into another area, ths one lit by a flaming blue torch. The merchant stood next to it, his eyes shining in the dim glow of his torch.

"Welcome! I see you brought more costumers for me."

Leon smirked, walking up to the merchant. Chris and Claire following from behind.

"Got something that might interest ya, strangers! Heh! Heh! Heh!"

The merchant opened his coat and proudly showed his stock. Suddenly, the depressing secret tunnel seemed less of a downer, thanks to the strange man selling his wares to them. They all bought more ammo for their guns, of course. Chris and Claire were extremely surprised to see he had their type of ammo for their guns. The merchant smiled behind his scarf when he recognised his items on Chris and Claire.

"Aaaaah! ZombieKlerN1! It's so good to see you alive! How you enjoying the items!"

Chris smiled at the merchant. So this was the man in the flesh. Of course, he still didn't see the face of his black market sales clerk... Bummer.

"They'te more than satisfactory, Merchant. I see now who was your urgent costumer who made a fantastic entry."

The merchant chuckled as Leon looked between them.

"You know each other?"

"Yeah. On the Internet. He's the one who I get all the cool weaponry from. You know that special grenade launcher I bought a couple months ago? He's the one who made it!"

The merchant beamed brightly at Chris. He was delighted to have his best costumer there. Too bad it couldn't be under better circumstances.

"Since you're here, you and the lass don't have to pay for the items you are choosing now."

Leon looked a little miffed. "Hey! You charge me a bundle for my stuff. What's so different about Chris. I can understand about Claire, she's gorgeous. But him?"

The merchant ignored him, and high fived Chris. Leon scoffed, causing his brunette friend to laugh and pat his back.

"Aaaww! Don't take it personally. I've been his best costumer a long time. Besides, I'm waaaay cooler than you."

Leon elbowed him playfully and paid the merchant what he owed him. The mysterious man chuckled and winked at Leon.

"Don't worry, Stranger. You're in my good books, too. I'm getting that special weapon ready when you shoot the rest of the blue medallions. Just be patient. I'm beginning to see you just as good a costumer as ZombieklerN1 here! Well, if that's all, you best get going. Those two girls in the church sound like their in the middle of World War 3. "

Leon looked at Chris and Claire with a worried look. They shrugged and smiled. Sighing, the agent just hoped Ashley and Sheila wouldn't do something dumb. Like killing each other, for instance.

**Authors note: Ooooookaaaaay! I hoped ya'll enjoyed that! What will happen? Will Sheila and Ashley kill each other? Naaah! But they'll be a lot of fighting, just you wait and seeee! Okay, here's another question for you guys. In the near future, they'll get to the lake with Del Lagos! I won't be able to fit all three characters in the boat. Should I have Chris or Claire separated from the cool trio? One of them is going to get kidnapped and taking off to see the BIG CHEESE! Vote soooooon! REVIEW! **


	10. Chapter 9:The Breaking of the Trio!

**Authors Note: Heeeeellllooooo People! How ya doing? Really. Oh that's wonderful! Me? Oh I've just got through writing another cool chapter... Uh huuh... Alright! Thank you for reviewing! Here's the next chapter! Yeeeaaaah!**

**Resident Evil: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 9: The Breaking of the Trio!**

"That is one creepy church." Chris commented.

The Trio looked at the church with trepidation that over shadowed the old graveyard. A fog had settled in, giving the whole scene a B-movie feel to it. Or in our case, a all too perfect scenario for a Resident evil game moment. Claire shivered as they began to walk along the graveyard. This reminded her of Rockfard island, when she was attacked by zombies coming out of their graves. A lot of bad memories there. She half expected zombies to attack them as they walked along side the graveyard. It wouldn't surprise her if they did, considering this situation they were in.

"No escape!" the Trio heard a woman Ganado say behind them.

She rushed toward them from a old shack, holding a kitchen serrated knife in her pale hand. Chris raised his Black-tail and fired twice in her heart, the bullets slicing through her like butter. She fell and did the usual melting. Another cry came from behind them. Leon turned around and shot the running man that was just a few yards away. The man fell and landed on his face, his hat rolling off his head. Leon ran up to the villager and took out his knife. Repeatedly, he stabbed the villager in the back of his head, twisting it to finish him off. Leon pulled his knife out and wiped off the gore as the villager disintegrated.

"What?" Leon asked.

Chris and Claire just looked at him with awe, completely amazed at what they saw him do.

"Nothing... Just realising how much more lethal you have become. Glad you're on our side." Chris commented.

Leon shrugged and sheathed his knife.

"They teach you a lot of different ways of killing in training."

Chris smirked and walked ahead, gun ready for more action. Claire looked at her Punisher and Matilda guns, trying to choose the best for the future. She decided to bring out her Matilda, since she had the canny feeling that there was more villagers up ahead.

Chris, Leon, and Claire followed in a single line up the path. When they reached the gate, they saw three more Ganados casually waiting for them.

"Dynamite!" Leon hollared as the villager threw it at them.

Chris and Leon dove out of the way while Claire caught the dynamite in her hand. This dynamite had a bit longer wick, giving her the chance to throw it back. A look of dismay crossed the villagers face as the dynamite landed in front of their feet. BOOOOM! Debris and blood sprayed the surrounding area. Getting up, the two amazed me walked up to Claire, stunned and silent.

Claire winked at them and walked up the steps to the big wooden doors. They of course was locked.

"Da-n it!" Claire cursed. "The doors are locked."

Leon ran up the steps and pushed Claire back. He did a round house kick on the doors. Nothing.

"Crap! Just my luck!" Leon said with anger.

Claire pointed at the indention. "Looks like we can't lock pick it either. But at least we know the shape of the key."

Leon and Claire studied the round indention.

"What is it about bad guys and weird keys!" Claire said with exasperation.

"It's because they know it would bug you two crazy kids." Chris joked.

Leon and Claire turned around and gave him that "It's not funny!" look.

"Sheesh! Tough crowed." Chris replied sourly.

Leon reached for his radio and contacted Hunnigan, a little irritated at the obstacles that keep heading his way.

Leon: _Hunnigan, I found the church, but-_

Hunnigan: _Good work Leon._

Leon: _Don't congratulate me yet. I can't get in. The door's locked._

Hunnigan: _Don't they teach you how to lock-pick at the academy?' _Hunnigan asked amusingly.

Leon: _Ha. Ha.__ The lock isn't ordinary. There's a round indention in the door. I'll-_

Hunnigan_: Well, what are you standing around for? Go find that key._

Leon gritted his teeth and bit back a sarcastic reply.

Leon_: I am. I just called to update you on the situation. That there will be a delay in plans. And I also wanted to inform you that I found some civi-_

"Aaaachooo!" Chris sneezed loudly.

Hunnigan_: What was that? Leon! Are you alone?_

Leon sighed and tried again to explain who was with him.

Leon:_As I was trying to tell you before my friend here sneezed, I found two civilians here. They're looking for their friend who coincidentally went missing also_.

Hunnigan_: Hmmm. Can you trust them?_

Leon_: Yes. I believe their story. They've been a great help. _

Hunnigan_: Still, you can't be distracted by this. You have to finish your objectives. Ashley comes first._

Chris held Claire back from ripping the radio from Leon's grasp. She was ready to tear the lady a new one.

Leon_: They're Americans. I can't ignore innocent people who need help. They're a great asset to me and I will not abandon them!_

Hunnigan_: Calm down, Leon. I'm just doing my job, the same as you. If you have one laps of judgment, Ashley could die. So listen to caution and be careful. You know the situation we are in in keeping things quiet. As for your new friends, we'll try to extract them as well. Just remember your mission._

Leon_: Affirmative. Leon out._

Leon pocketed his radio and started to walk around the church. He tried the red door too, just in case. That door was locked too. Not too surprising. He then made his way around the building to the back. There, he found two more dangerous villagers, one of which with a stick of dynamite. Without thinking twice about it, he shot the dynamite in the male villager's hand. The explosion killed both of the inconvenient pests. With that little distraction taken care of, he walked up to the puzzle and started to work on it.

Claire had calmed down and began tp looke around as Leon worked on the puzzle. She noticed blue medallions hanging in different odd places. She casually made the observation known to Leon and Chris. The busy agent smiled as he finished the puzzle. He grabbed the green catseye and placed it in his beerstyne mug. Leon then told the two about the merchant's challenge for him. They remembered the merchant mentioning this back in the small underground secret passage way.

Leon shot all the medallions in the graveyard and around the church. He then checked the small map the merchant gave him that revealed where every medallion was located. He had only three more to go, and luckily they were up ahead.

The Trio walked down the short path and came upon a wooden bridge that was supported by long ropes and old, wooden planks. Other then the age of the wood, this was a very sturdy bridge since one side was bolted to the rocky wall. It was a bridge the likes they never seen before. As they took the first steps on the sturdy surface, they noticed a villager with his back toward them, looking out in the distance. Chris aimed carefully, and shot the unsuspecting Ganado in the head, knocking him off the bridge. The man screamed as he fell, splattering on the rocks below in the water.

They came upon large gaps and some more villagers on the other side of them. Claire took care of them with her automatic Matilda handgun. The Ganados didn't have a chance to even respond as they fell to the water far below.

They all made it across the gaps with no incident. After checking the small shack on the bridge for items, Leon found a disturbing letter from Mendez. He read out loud to Chris and Claire.

_Closure of the Church_

_Regarding the two fugitives and the two prowlers, the apprehension of Luis is our top priority; the American agent and the American prowlers a distant second._

_What Luis stole from us is far more important than the girls. Unless we get it back, the girls will become useless to us. We must get it back to execute our plan to the end._

_If it gets in the wrong hands, the world would become a totally different place than what Lord Saddler has envisioned. At all costs, we mustn't let that happen. _

_Nevertheless, we're not letting go of the girls. To ensure that the agent or the mysterious guests do not get the captives, I have locked the church door where the girls is being held. Anyone who needs access to the church must first get approval by Lord Saddler._

_There is a key beyond the lake, but it should be safe now that the "Del Lago" has been awakened by our Lord. No one will get across the Lake alive. Plus, our same blood courses through the agent's veins. It'll be just a matter of time before he joins us. Once he does, there will be nobody else left that will come looking for the girls. The only threat is those two Americans. We do know that they are not agents. Their objectives are still unclear. Perhaps they are looking for the other girl? It doesn't make sense if they are. The girl is just a average young American civilian. I get the feeling that Saddler's new recruit that brought her in our family in the first place, has something to do with this. Be on your guard, my bretheren! _

_Chief Mendez_

"Who's Luis?" Chris asked.

Leon told the story of how he met the Spaniard and what he told him. It worried them what could be more important than the girls.

"Let's get going. If we have to cross the river and face the "Del Lago", than I say bring it on!" Chris said with determination.

They left the shack, stepping back in the cold frigid air. Leon shot the rest of the medallions and proceeded with his partners. This apparently was going to be a long day.

**R**

Up in space, unknown to the inhabitants in Spain or the world, the Umbrella satellite spied on a certain Trio down below. It has been tracking them and the other occupants down on earth. The satellite sent the video images to a certain high teched facility, hidden in a remote part of Europe somewhere. Top secret and hidden from satellites and prying eyes.

The person watching smiled as he saw the Trio. He wasn't surprised too much that the ex-cop had made it this far. After all, he was a Raccoon City survivor. But he was making it harder for his not so trust worthy spy to steal the sample. He seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time yet again. Now, he was teamed up with old friends. Although his plans were that the Redfields would show up as planned, he didn't like that they were with that Leon Scott Kennedy fellow. Leon and Claire were a killer pair in Raccoon City. And Chris was one of his top STARS team members, so the three together was a hazardous obstacle for his plans.

But he wasn't worried. No, the blond haired man was actually a litlle pleased at this development. He could now kill three birds with one stone.

His hands moved quickly, punching in different codes on his arm rest. Soon, the satellite moved and found the object of the blond, handsome man's thoughts. Jack Krauser's face filled the screen. He looked bored and antsy.

"Did you make any more progress?"

Jack scowled and answered, "Somewhat. Saddler is slowly letting me in the loop. From what I hear, his men has captured Ada."

Krauser looked a little too happy about that fact. It was no secret that Krauser resented the sultry spy for being included in this mission. The blond man with the shades almost smiled at this fact. He used this tense working relationship between Ada and Krauser to spur on the mission. They both seemed to have a rivalry on tasks like this.

"I wouldn't worry about Ada. She can take care of herself. She's a survivor."

The blond man smirked at the way Krauser's face clouded up at the fact she would more then likely survive her ordeal.

"I still don't get why she's on this mission, too. I don't trust her, and I know you don't either."

"Yes, but I do enjoy our cat and mouse games. Besides, she doesn't anger easily and let her emotions cloud her better judgement."

Krauser cursed and hit the wall, cracking it. That's why the calm, calculating man doesn't trust Krauser completely. He's proved unstable ever since he allowed himself to be injected with Las Plagas. The Veronica T-virus and the Las Plagas together made a powerful cocktail, but it had side affects. Krauser was more uncontrollable than before, his temper got more in the way every day. Although the parasite didn't control him because the virus counter acted that, the parasite brought out the more basic instincts hidden within him. Thus, he could be a liability to the cause...

Plus, he wasn't the smartest soldier in the world.

"I have good news. The Redfield siblings have reunited with Leon. I'm not entirely happy with the fact, but this can be to our advantage. If they survive this backwoods village and survive the castle, I want you to take care of our friend Leon, and Miss Redfield... I'll take care of Chris."

"With pleasure, Wesker. Looks like your plans are running smoothly."

"So it seems. The Spaniard has collected the sample, so when Ada is done with being a victim for the Ganados, I'll tell her to go retrieve Luis.

Krauser chuckled and hung up. Wesker (Yeah, I know. Blond guy with a big evil chip on his shoulder isn't that hard to figure out.) tapped his gloved fingers on the cold steel surface of his chair. They were walking on a thin, tight, rope. One wrong move can make his plans come crashing down all around him like a house of cards. His emotionless face betrayed nothing of his thoughts. Which is amazing with what he has to put up with. He has a spy who would probably betray him once he relaxed, a unstable man who was loyal but slowly going mad, and his competitor which was breathing down his neck over power of the biological warfare weapons. He always had to keep one step ahead of his enemies. A person of his reputation couldn't really trust anybody.

He smiled... He'll be patient while waiting for his enemies to make their mistake... Then, he'll crush them and resurect Umbrella. Things were falling into place slowly.

**R**

The Trio stepped through the gate, ready for a fight. No living soul was around. This made them nervous. As they walked forward, they noticed a wooden door frame with no door. Leon looked around calm, expecting a monster to jump out and attack.

As they slowly walked through the door frame, they noticed the sharp wooden poles that made some sort of gate. It was hanging above their heads, making them nervous. This place seemed more and more of a trap every second. But they had to move on, so they slowly walked through the door frame into a wider area. The place was depressing. A lone, barren, tree was the only things made by nature in the little arena. Three small wooden shacks there in a neat row, a wooden cart with rocks left behind, and some massive double doors that was locked with a huge piece of wood, like the medieval times. The doors made them wary.

"Doors that big and heavy definatley is keeping something big and dangerous locked up," commented Claire.

As they walked past it, they heard a deep inhuman growl, confirming Claire's comment. The trio froze in their tracks.

"Does anyone besides me reeeeaaaaally want to hurry up and get out of here?" Claire asked.

The guys, who didn't want to admit that they were just as creep-ed out by that growl as Claire was, began to talk in strong but shaky voices.

"Yeah, we better go. We don't want Claire exposed to this much longer," said Leon.

"Yeah, yeah, I agree. Claire is getting scared. We can't have her scream and give our position away." Chris agreed.

Claire smacked both of them upside their heads and said while walking to the other side, "Men! Afraid that they're weak for showing emotions on their sleeves makes them weak. Such as fear, sadness, and anything classified as womanish. But in reality, the men are worse than babies. Thus leaving the women to courageously fix the situations in life."

The guys scoffed at this and followed close behind.

They saw two sets of doors. Deciding that the doors leading down looked more interesting, they went and chose the doors that led to the underground dock. They were curious what laid down there. Maybe more ammo. Upon entering and climbing down the ladder, they found themselves in a place that was dimly lit and a bit colder then the crisp air outside. As they walked a bit on, they came to a more lit up area. They found themselves in a eerie but serene place. It was a natural made cave that had deep water stream that led to only a certain merchant knows where. Speaking of the merchant, his shop was lit by two blue flame torches, and filled with a lot more goodies then what he usually carries in his jacket and back pack.

"Welcome Strangers! What are you buying?"

So, they bought and sold trinkets. Leon broke down and bought himself the TMP and stock, plus a first aid spray. A person can never have enough of that special medicine. The others only bought some ammo and first aid stuff. When they were done, the Merchant was one happy dude.

Leon commented in awe, "Wow. Now this is what I call a gunshop!"

"This is just but one of my many stores. You haven't seen nothing compared to my home base!" The merchant replied proudly.

As they started to walk away, the merchant stopped them and said in a serious tone, "I have some things to tell ya about, Strangers. I've left a boat by the dock at the lake. Attached to each side is five harpoons. You'll need them when you cross the lake. Beware what lurks in the old lake. A powerful creature has been awakened by it's deep, long, sleep by the man who brought all this trouble to this village and yourselves. Be careful, you won't be able to hurt Del Lago with those weopans. And you won't be able to use your stinger missile, ZombiKlerN1, so don't bother trying. This creature is fast and big. If it knocks you in the water, swim for your life and get back in the boat, or you're dead. Now, don't dally around when you get in that boat. If possible, try to drive for shore as fast as you can before you see Del Lago. But most likely, the Del Lago will intercept you before you get the chance."

They looked at each other a litle worried. This was going to be hard. As they left, the merchant called out one of his famous sayings, "Come back anytime."

**R**

Sheila watched as Ashley paced and paced. She looked like she was going to go crazy. She kept mumbling and whimpering about how this was a bad dream and that any moment she was going to wake up. The teenager got where the blond was coming from, really, she did. But freaking out about it won't help their situation.

She got up and stopped Ashley in her tracks.

"Listen, I know we don't get along, but going mental won't help us. Just sit down and take a nap or something."

Ashley didn't look happy with Sheila touching her, but she didn't want to get in another eat dirt situation. She sat down and started to whine.

"This sucks! I'm hungry, my head hurts, and I have to pee! And to top it off, I'm stuck her with you!"

"Says the girl who still doesn't get my name. You know, Nunya," Sheila said with a chuckle.

The girl still didn't get it. It was quite funny. As before, Ashley just gave her the same blank look.

"Whatever, Nunya."

"Listen. If you have to pee so bad, just go behind the barrels, squat, and do our business. No use holding it and torturing yourself."

Ashley looked at her with complete horror.

"Are you CRAZY? Wait don't answer that. Look, I'm not going to pee on the floor like some barn yard animal. You'll probably peek or tip me over!"

"For Pete's sake! I'm not going to peek! I'm not a perv who likes to see crazy blonds who pees! And I promise not to play a prank on ya while you pee. Just get it over with and stop whining!"

Ashley mumbled and walked over to the barrels. She stared at Sheila suspiciously while taking off her panties. Sheila didn't pay attention. She was just wishing for Leon to get his butt in gear and come save her before she kills Ashley. This was seriously the most boring, aggravating experience in her life! And that was something since she has experienced a lot of crap in her life.

Ashley called out after she was done peeing, "Where's the toilet paper?"

Sheila slapped her forehead and shook it sorrowfully. This was going to be a loooooong wait!

"There isn't any. This isn't a bathroom."

"What am I supposed to use then?"

"Uuuurgh!... Here!"

Sheila threw the dirty cloth she found on the shelf.

"Aaah! Eeeeew! Do I have to?"

"Just use it or don't. I don't really care!"

Silence. Ashley stepped out from behind the barrels and looked contented.

"Wow. I feel better. Thanks for the stupid idea or whatever."

Sheila didn't even pay attention. She was too busy thinking about what lay ahead. Leon, Ashley and herself of course would have to face many a danger. It wasn't going to be any easier with her and Ashley tagging along with poor Leon.

"Aaaaarg! Ooooh it hurts!" Ashley cried out, grasping her body and folding in the fetal position. Sheila got up and ran over to her.

"Oh crap! It's starting!"

Sheila knew that the egg hatched and was making its presence known. She watched in pity as Ashley cried in pain. There was nothing she could do. And soon, her parasite was going to hatch. Her hope was that it would do that later... Much later.

But things didn't go as she wished. A burning sensation flared quickly in her chest and abdomen. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her body.

"Oh CRAP!"

Sheila's vision blurred with tears as the spasms grew worse and worse. She curled up in a tight ball, the pain intensifying with every breath she took. She began to cough up blood to her horror. As she looked at her hands that was covered in blood, she passed out.

**R**

The swamp was covered in a fog. It was eerie and dreary, making the heroes cautious as they began to cross the place. It was silent, except for the sounds of an occasional Bullfrog croaking. Chris stopped, and pointed at a tripwire. And near the trap, in the distance, was a villager. The Ganado was staring back at them with a scowl. He of course cried out in the usual manner, alerting his fellow country men.

Chris backed up and announced, "We got company."

The crazy villager ran toward them, not noticing the tripwire. BOOOOM! No more Ganado! Chris motioned them to follow him as he ran down the boardwalk. They killed as they went, seeming to be invincible together. Ganados were killed both left and right, never standing a chance when faced with the combined forces of the survivors of some of the most horrific events in history. Soon, things became quiet again. And that wasn't a good sign.

"It's too quiet." Leon commented.

As if to confirm what Leon said, they heard shouting doming up from behind them. A huge mob was running toward them, carrying pitchforks, torches, and sharp objects. As they began shooting and reloading, something unfortunate happened. Claire didn't see the two burly men sneaking up behind her. Suddenly, she felt two very strong arms covering her middle, squeezing her harshly.

"Oh, heck no!" Claire seethed.

Claire head butted the head behind her, causing the man to let go with a grunt. She has learned karate on the job, the FBI really looked on you with favor if you can protect yourself on the field. Her training was put to good use. With quick affective movements, she began kicking the other man's face like there was no tomorrow. The guys noticed Claire was in trouble, but they were being overwhelmed by villagers coming at all sides. She was fighting and shooting like a wildcat, proving too much for the two burly men. They called for help from some of their fellow comrades, who promptly answered the call. Soon she was surrounded. Knowing that she was the target, she brought out her Uzis and started killing like Trinity on the matrix.

She was doing well till she felt a prick in her neck.

Reaching up, she tentatively touched the tranquilizer dart and said, "Hey. That's che... ch... cheeeeaaaating."

She then fell in the arms of one of the villagers. With a pleased chuckle, the Ganado picked up the young woman and slung her over his shoulder. The guy then ran off toward the direction of the lake, a fellow villager followed suit.

"CLAIRE!" cried Leon.

Chris turned around and watched with horror as his sister was being carried away, her limp form bumping up and down as the villager ran. Feeling rage and fear strike his heart, Chris screamed and started killing like a mad man. Leon saw red and took out his knife and began fighting in hand to hand combat. They soon cleared a path and followed after them, but it was too late. Claire and her captors were already through the doors, on they're way to the lake.

**Authors Note: Ooooooh Noooooooooooo! What will Leon and Chris doooooo? Will they get to Claire on time? Where are the Ganados taking her? You'll have to stay reading my chapters and reviewing them to find out! Buah! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! Yes, a cliff hanger! Revieeeeew!**


	11. Chapter 10:Introducing Del Lago! Moommy!

**Authors Note: Hello fellow Resident Evil fans! Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them! This chapter is going to be tense so GET READY FOR THE FISH FIGHT OF THE CENTURY! DUN! DUUN! DUUUUUUUUUUUN! Let's see what's happening with our characters are doing now that Claire has been KIDNAPPED! Enjoy!**

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 10: Introducing DEL LAGO! MOOOOOMMY!**

Gun shots echoed through out the swamp as a battle between good and evil took place in the once peaceful place. Leon and Chris fought like champions of old, killing any villager that came within range. They gained ground quickly, till finally they were the only ones left standing. But there was no celebrating for their small victory, for there was still young maidens that needed rescuing. Quickly, they ran to the doors the kidnappers had used for their escape.

Upon opening the door, they found that there was the rugged path forked out in two different directions. One leading up the slope, and one leading down. According to the map, the one up that led up went straight to the ridge where they could have a perfect bird's eye of the whole lake. The other led to the lake where a boat was waiting for them.

"Come on! Let's hurry, we don't have much time!" Chris said frantically.

Leon grabbed Chris's arm, regretfully stopping him from continuing. "Chris, wait. We need to scout the area first."

"What do you mean, scout the area! Let's go now! We know they're heading for the other side of the lake-"

"Chris! I want to rescue Claire as much as you do, but we need to take the right precautions! Del Lago, remember? If we want to rescue Claire, we have to think smart more importantly, stay alive. In other words, we need to look before we jump."

Chris yanked his arm from Leon's grasp. He wasn't angry with his friend or the wisdom in his words. Training in tense and crucial situations called for a cool head. If he lost it, that would be the end of his sister.

"You're right... We need to keep cool and check out this unknown territory before going in. Let's get moving."

Leon led the way. The path was short and steep, with specks of dead grass and leafless tress scattered here and there. In no time, they reached the top. From the view they had, they could see every thing. The lake was murky, and large enough for something big to take residence in. Both kneeling on the ground, Chris looked out at the vast lake as Leon pulled out his binoculars. He immediately spotted a small motor boat moving swiftly in the water. The two men who had kidnapped Claire were quiet and solemn as they crossed the lake. The spirited young woman wasn't with them, but someone else was.

The boat stopped, the motor quieting down. Looking at the body in the boat, the villagers got up and quickly set out to work and lifted the man. Leon's gut clenched. It was the cop who had driven him here. Sadness mingled with horror as the two Ganados threw the cop overboard. Neither Chris or Leon could tell if the police man was unconscious or dead.

"Vamos!" said the young Ganado as they rode off, clearly looking nervous and afraid.

Chris watched the boat ride ashore while Leon watched the cop. He noticed a rumbling noise coming from the lake. It grew louder as the waves around the cop grew choppier.

"Chris, I think you should see this."

Chris took out his binoculars and turned his attention off of the villagers who were racing away as fast as they could. Together, they both watched the floating cop as ripples of water grew bigger and wider around his body. Suddenly, a massive creature leaped out of the water, it's body bigger then a whale. It's humongous jaws were opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of white, razor, sharp teeth. It looked like the mutated version of the whale that swallowed Jonah.

The cop was swallowed whole,, becoming another casualty of the tiny village of Pueblo. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, it landed in the water and disappeared from view, its tremendous bulk sendin multiple waves across the murky surface. The whole thing took no more than four seconds at the most. Even that was stretching it.

Chris fell back in shock as Leon tightened his binoculars. They both have seen a lot of monsters and weird crap in their day, but that was in a category totally by itself. Words couldn't describe it. After all, what was there to say? All they could do was let what they just witnessed, soak in. To understand that crossing the troublesome waters wouldn't be as easy as they first thought.

The massive hulk of everything wrong with nature, was something that required deep thought. Ways of killing the beastly fish couldn't even be discussed, due to nothing they had would work. They now understood why the merchant said conventional weapons were useless. No bullet would pierce that hide; if it did, it wouldn't effect the monster at all. And trying to ready a rocket launcher when that creature was apparently faster then a fish that size should be, not to mention it had the water protecting it, was just plain foolishness. Both men dreaded crossing that lake. Only a crazy man would attempt such a feat. Or someone with a death wish.

In their case, they had no other choice. There was no way inside the church to rescue the two girls, and Claire was who knows where beyond the dangers of the lake. With that as food for thought, the two got up and put away their binoculars. There was no need for discussing it. The two silent men gazed at one another with dread. Leon broke the silence.

"It's not the first time we faced some giant freak of nature. I'm sure we could beat it," Leon said with a shaky confidence.

Chris nodded, answering with the same flakiness, "Yeah. We both faced impossible foes. Whatever Umbrella threw at us, we killed. I'm sure we can kick its a-s!"

Both tried to look confident and brave, but the truth was that this was a crappy situation. The stocks stocked against them in every possible way. To put it simply, they were scared out of their minds... Wouldn't you be?

"Come on. Let's get going," Leon said with dread.

The two Raccoon City survivors walked back down the path, determined to save Claire and find that key to the church. They passed the doors they came from and went down the path that led to one of the most horrific experiences of they're lives.

**R**

Wesker watched intently at the two men walking down the path. This just kept getting better and better! He also saw that magnificent creature's introduction. The immense power the creature had, it's large exaggerated girth, everything about it was so fascinating! He contemplated the different ways how it came to be. Did the parasite have a different reaction to the fish? Is that why it was so huge? Or was it something nature cooked up that's never been discovered or noticed till the parasite came into the picture? He had a million questions about it's history, in which he hoped he he would have answered soon, when he gets that sample. Maybe it's over a hundred years old, after all, this isn't the first time the village had the parasites infect them.

Wesker shook his head, and continued to watch the men walk up to the dock where the small motor boat had been left tied to. He let out a peel of evil laughter. If they think that they were going to make it across that lake in that old boat, they had a another thing coming. The deviant older man got comfortable and smiled as he continued to watch. He was betting his money on the lake monster.

**R**

The men looked uneasily at the small wooden boat. It barely would fit the two of them! This small, old, rickety thing was supposed to get them across the dangerous waters unscathed? Ha! They couldn't believe that the merchant left them this old, crappy boat. The pathetic excuse of water transport wouldn't last two seconds with that thing! Suddenly, the popular opinion of the friendly neighborhood merchant was seriously dropping.

Leon sighed and looked at Chris.

_We're gonna need a bigger boat. _(Yes, I borrowed the first JAWS movie's famous line. Deal with it.) _Got to make do with what we got._

The look on Chris's face agreed with the words he spoken. "We're dead fish bait."

Leon tried to say in a hopeful tone, "Maybe it's only attracted to blood or dead things. It didn't attack the kidnappers, obviously."

"True... But they bribed it. They high tailed it out of there as soon as they dropped off their little present."

"Yeah... But maybe it's full and won't bother us."

"Teh. That poor guy was just the appetiser and we're the main coarse."

"Chris, you're bumming me out, here. I'm trying to lie to myself so I can get the nerve to get in this boat."

"Heh. Sorry. I'll shut-up."

"Good."

The men hesitantly hopped aboard the boat with understandable nervousness. Leon started the engine, it's loud rumble making both men wince. With one last look at the safety of the dock, Chris cast off. They were finally on their way.

Fog covered the water, making the lake seem more menacing. Chris and Leon looked around nervously, expecting to see the creature to jump out any second. As they reached part way across, the men saw large debris floating around in the lake. Large logs and other stuff were clumped together, making a bunch of little floating islands. Leon payed attention to this and avoided the debris with ease.

"Now I know what a worm on a hook feels like," Chris commented.

As they proceeded on, everything seemed calm enough. So far, no large fish trying to snack on them. The guys were getting a little bit more relaxed as they grew closer and closer to their destination.

_"Come on! Just a little bit more," _Leon thought with desperation. The waters were getting more choppy, causing the motor to fight Leon's steering hand.

"_Not good!"_ Thought Leon with a nervous look around.

Chris turned white when he decided to take peek at the water over the edge of the boat. He saw a shape of the large Del Lago. His heart leaped to his throat as he tried to warn Leon.

"It's here-" Chris didn't get to finish as Del Lago introduced itself to them with a loud roar as it leaped out of the water ten feet in the air.

It's roar was so loud that it rocked the entire area, causing the men to cover their ears. The creature's large mouth was wide open as it lifted its entire body out of the water. Strange appendages were flailing around wildly in its mouth; grey and slimy tendrils with sharp and serrated tips that could strip a man's flesh right off the bone. And while the victim felt this agonizing stripping, the tentacles would hook and real it's prey in to meet the sharp teeth of it's massive jaws.

"CRAAAAAAAAP!" Both men hscreamed. It wasn't every day they faced death by fish.

Leon's heart leaped inside his throat as a primal fear hit him. Both he and Chris were the prey now, no longer on top of the food chain. It was a crappy feeling. They took in the size of the monster as it was in the air, its body could easily be about fifty to a hundred feet long. Strangely, it didn't even look like a fish; the abomination of nature being manipulated by the parasite so drastically that it looked like a mutated salamander. Its grayish, brownish colored body showed no scales, just a slimy smooth skin like a catfish.

The monster's body hit the water once more, causing a massive vortex. The boat was being pulled in to the guy's dismay. Then at the last second, the vortex ended and spat up a the water high in the air, causing a massive wave which was heading straight toward the two men.

"Oh crap! Brace yourself!" Chris shouted.

Both gripped the sides of the boat and prayed for dear life that they didn't get knocked out of the boat. The fish was too quick to swim for shore or even back to the boat. But the way their adrenalin was pumping thought out their bodies, they were ready to run on top of the water to just get away from the danger. They didn't have long to wait to face their fear, the giant wave hit them with such great force that it knocked the boat fifteen feet back and eight feet in the air. Both guys screamed in terror, neither caring who heard. Being scared out of their minds was nothing to be ashamed about. You would be too if Del Lago was trying to have you for dinner.

The motor whined in the dry air as the boat continued to be air born, sounding it would croak any second. The boat spun around a bit before finally landing in the water with a jarring force. This caused both men's feet to fly up in the air, causing the anchor to drop in the water. Neither noticed this as they tried to get their wits about them.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Chris yelled as Leon tried to get going. But the motor stalled suddenly to the man's dismay.

"You piece of junk!" Leon growled as he tried to get the motor going again, unaware that the anchor was sinking lower and lower till it finally hooked in the creature's slimy, scaleless flesh.

The men turned their heads at the strange whizzing sound. Then, their eyes widened when spotting the rope unraveling quickly.

"Oh shi-" Leon didn't finish as a knot in the rope blocked the O ring, causing the boat to jerk violently forward as the creature drug them wildly across the lake.

The boat was being dragged at a fast pace further away from their destination. Needless to say, this was reeeaaaaally bad for them. As he hung on to dear life to the side of the boat, Chris felt the harpoons on his side and remembered what the merchant said.

"Leon, get your harpoons ready. We're going fishing!"

Both grabbed a harpoon that was tied safely to each side. Leon judged the distance, coming up with about fifty feet between them and the monster. They waited till the monster surfaced, revealing its back and weird tail fin as it swam. It even began to swim in a straight line, giving them the opportunity to throw a harpoon at the freakish creature. Leon spear sped through the air, finding its target. The spear head embedded deeply in it's flesh, a deep wound that spurted red blood into the air, staining the water's surface. Chris's landed next to the harpoon, this one going a little bit deeper than the first.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Leon shouted with a grin at Chris. It gave them a deep satisfaction to cause this monstrosity pain.

The creature hissed and slid back under the water as Chris readied a third spear while Leon tried steering the boat, hoping to at least nudge the monster to move in the direction of land. He could faintly see the creature turning toward them, leaving a blood trail in the water. It swam under the boat and taking them further toward the middle of the lake. It's actions caused the boat to jerk sharply around, causing more strain on the thick rope. Suddenly, the rope's knot squeezed through the O-ring; the rope whizzing fast out of the loop Hope bloomed in their chests. Once they're unattached from the anchor, they could make an attempt for the shore again... But a bigger knot snagged in the hole, now giving Del Lago a longer lead. This made it harder for the heroes to see what it was doing.

Seconds later, the boat stopped moving. An uneasy calm settling over the lake. Chris set the third harpoon down and frantically looked around, trying to find a hint where the fish might appear. The rope moved a little, than stopped all together. Some splashes were heard here and there, but they were never fast enough to locate the exact location of their deadly foe. Suddenly, a loud roar was heard behind them in the distance. Leon and Chris both turned and saw the monster swimming quickly through the water, it's mouth opened wide in hunger. The creature could easily swallow the boat whole if they don't stop it. Raising his spear high, Chris aimed at the creature's throat. Meanwhile, his partner was busy untying the forth spear.

The creature would be on them in less than five seconds. With a grunt, Chris threw the spear, hoping to get the monster in the throat. But instead, it landed deep in the monster's lip. Leon stood up with his harpoon, arm poised and ready. He let out a roar of his own and threw the spear with a deadly aim. The harpoon soared threw the air, heading straight for the throat. But a grey tendril got in the way and was impaled by the spear. Blood was spraying all over inside the cavern of its mouth. The fish/salamander (Whatever) screeched and dived back under the water, just before it would have collided with the boat. The boat was hit by the waves its bulk made, almost sending Leon and Chris in the lake. The guys plopped back on their butts as the creature changed tactics and dragged them toward the debris that littered the lake.

Leon began steering the boat away from the debris with ease. He gritted his teeth and said, "Playing dirty are we?"

Chris untied another harpoon and tried to aim at the waving form of the Del Lago. He couldn't get a clear shot as it weaved through the debris. Leon dodged the first three perfectly, but the creature turned suddenly to the left, causing the boat to swing at the nearest obstacle. The horrified agent didn't have time to avoid it as the boat collided with the debris.

"Oooooooh craaaaaaap!" Chris yelled as both him and Leon and the harppon he had was sent flying out of the boat and into the dangerous waters.

As Chris resurfaced, he looked frantically around, spotting Leon five feet behind him and the boat ten feet in front of him. They both heard the creature dive under, alerting them that it was all too aware of their plight. They quickly began swimming for their lives, concentrating on the boat up ahead. The young Redfield reached the boat first, using his long, shaking limbs to easily climb back in the boat. He instantly reached his hand out to Leon who was three feet away.

Grunting, Leon grabbed the hand as he reached the boat. Chris helped his friend get back in the safety of the boat, just in the nick of time. The monster jumped up where Leon had been, snapping its jaws at empty air. It landed on its back, sending a spray of water over their all ready drenched forms. Then the earlier games the creature had played resumed, dragging it's cargo around the lake. This time, it swam away from the debris and resurfaced. Leon untied another spear and chucked it at the creature. The deadly weapon this time landed in its tail. (If you can call it that.)

The lake monster didn't wait have to feel another spear in its back as it resubmerged. It had grown smarter of this team's tactic. And with years of cunning and instincts imbredded in it's origional DNA, the creature swam lower and lower till it fell out of sight.

"Trying to change the rules now, beasty. Well, bring it on!" Leon growled as he turned the boat in the opposite direction where it submerged.

He made the right decision; the creature resurfaced the water with a roar as it bit yet again thin air where the boat had been, passing its prey by mere inches. Chris had another harpoon ready and threw it in the creatures tough hide in its side. Blood sprayed all over the boat, including Leon and himself. As it passed, Leon and Chris could see that it was wounded numerous times and losing large amounts of blood. But it still showed no signs of tiring.

Leon thought grimly, _"If this keeps up, we're so screwed."_

**R**

The merchant watched as the two men fought the legendary monster. His heart had nearly stopped when the boat had hit the debris, causing his costumers to fall in the lake with the harpoon. He saw the creature dive and sped toward the two swimming men. But, yet again, the two surprised him. Barely escaping with their lives, yet again.

He watched with anticipation, waiting for his best costumers to kill the slimy fiend. He hated that creature with a passion. The Del Lago has been a thorn in his side ever since Saddler reawakened the D-mn thing! This monstrosity killed some of his closest friends, and nearly ate him on numerous occasions. His hatred grew each day as the stupid thing kept him away from one of his best stores in the area. It made him sick that all that stock could go to waste.

_Stupid Lummox!_

He smiled as he saw Chris throw two more spears at the roof of its mouth, causing the cursed thing to cry out in more pain.

"Keep it up, boys."

He liked both of these men. They really had the some amazing survivor instincts, and the will to live despite what the odds delivered them. He even grew to respect Leon as much as his long term costumer, Chris. And he definitely like the spunk in the young auburn haired woman that came with his Chris.

_What was her name?... Ah, yes. Claire. Brains and beauty wrapped up in one amazing package._

She had a great personality that seemed to keep the other two grounded. Too bad she was kidnapped. Though he could say exactly why, he knew she would get out of that situation. She was a tough lass.

As for the spy, he didn't trust her one bit. From what he heard from the grape vine, she could be the third party in this horrific tale who had Luis steal the sample. God only knows what company she worked for and what type of war lords they were. Any person looking for the sample was bad news. Plus, it was hard to like or trust someone who always tried to get him to lower his prices on his goods, then threaten to kill him if he ever uttered a word to Saddler and his minions of her presence. He wasn't stupid. Besides, he wasn't one of Saddler's mindless Ganados. Despite of the parasite within, he wasn't being controlled. He still had free will.

And even if the beautiful woman in red decides he's too much of a liability, he knew he would survive any of her deadly advances. He was stronger, smarter, and faster than his appearance revealed. Years in his profession had toughened him up, and taught him to always be prepared for the costumer to turn around and slit your throat. In the end, he always got the upper hand and kill those that tried to end his life. Which unfortunately always had him changing his appearance and move to different countries. New different identities by the dozen! He wanted to at least stay a little longer in his home country before leaving. Of course he would have to leave sooner than expected as the home village he was born in was now the home of evil. Such was the life of a merchant.

His attention went back at the lake. Leon gave Chris one of his last spears which left the agent only one for himself. The merchant's face tightened behind his mask.

"Maybe I should have put more harpoons in the boat."

**R**

Chris cursed angrily to himself for throwing the spear too wide, missing the creature by one foot. The slimy deviant dived again back under the surface for another surprise attack. Both were soaked and chilled to the bone, weary from the battle. Their bodies ached with pain from all they've been through during the day. Fighting for your life constantly in the cold and then getting soaked from falling in the water was getting to them. Especially Leon. His wound from earlier was throbbing with pain. His chest heaved from the pressure built in his chest, and he felt like his lungs were being squeezed by something.

All was quiet as the boat stopped moving.

"Not this trick again." Chris snorted.

Leon stood up, holding the last harpoon as thought about what he had to do. If he was going to die, he was going to get one make the over grown guppy scream before he became its next meal. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears as he waited patiently, arm poised with the harpoon.

"Please God, let this spear find its mark." Leon prayed with desperation.

"Amen." Chris answered.

The silence was deafening as they waited for the Jaws wanna-bee to face them. The rope moved a bit, but nothing else happened.

"_Maybe it had enough and gave up... Yeah right! I'll be seeing pigs fly before that ever happens," Leon thought grimly._

Sure enough, dead ahead the creature resurfaced, its bloodied mouth wide open. The sharp teeth was stained with its own blood. With a growl, it propelled itself forward for the final showdown.

Leon aimed, stiffening his body as he waited for the right moment. The creature roared as it drew closer to them. Chris looked nervously at Leon, wandering if his friend was paralysed with fear or something.

"Throw it." Chris ordered. The creature was closer and picking up speed.

"Leon, throw it. Throw it NOW!" Chris shouted, the creature now was close enough for details to be made out with crystal detail.

"Not just yet. Just a little closer," Leon said with patience as Chris was running his hands through his once gelled spikes of brown hair.

The creature would be on them any second. Leon then saw his mark and threw the spear with all his might, screaming with all he had in him. The spear soared in the air, entering the creatures mouth and threw the tentacles, finding the back of its throat. A torrent of blood sprayed everywhere.

The Del Lago gagged with its own blood, swerving away from the boat. It slowed down and turned back toward the boat. It splashed and thrashed around, trying to run from the pain. Finally, it let out its last feral roar as it lifted its huge form out of the water, sputtering blood everywhere in the sky. Blood fell like rain to the water, mixing with the lake. Then the Del Lago fell on its back, finally sinking as it died.

Leon stood there in amazement before feeling a tremendous wave of victory spread through out all of his soul. A huge wave hit the boat from the creatures splash, sending Leon and Chris on their butts. Water sprayed all over their body, cleaning the creatures blood off two grinned at one other. They did it! They survived the dreaded Del Lago. Together, the gave a victory shout, feeling good despite their aching bodies.

They sat there in several inches of water, not caring a bit. The two were just grateful for being alive. But their victory was short lived. Suddenly, the boat jerked forward. And that's when they realised that the anchor was still embedded in the dying creatures body, that was currently sinking to the bottom of the lake. Their sense of triumph vanished as panic settled in. Chris brought out his knife, ready to cut the rope loose. But before he could, the O-loop broke off the boat, releasing the tension of the rope for the moment. They sighed, but yet again their sense of relief was interrupted. They heard the whipping and whizzing sound of the rope as it whizzed out of the boat. Both looked down and saw that the rope had some how wrapped around Leon's leg. Before they could do anything about it, the rope tightened and squeezed his leg and began pulling him out of the boat.

Leon let out a scream of pain, gripping one side of the boat as he whipped out his knife. Together, they began hacking the fibers of the thick rope. The agent screamed, literaly feeling muscles and bone begin to stretch. His pants began to tear, alerting the men that if they didn't hurry, Leon would either be pulled down into the lake with the dead Del Lago, or his limb would be torn from his body. The weight of the creature's dead body was too much for LEon and the boat. So together, they resumed chopping even more fierclyat the rope. Just as Leon felt he couldn't take it any longer, they hacked threw the final thread, releasing him from a horrible death.

Leon laid back, breathing heavily.

Chris put his hand on his leg and asked, "Are you going to be alright?"

Leon slowly sat back up and answered with a small smile, "Yeah. Never better."

Chris smiled and said proudly, "No one is going to believe this. We have to be the only ones in the world to proudly say that we killed a hundred foot lake monster."

Leon chuckled and tried to get the motor going. It sputtered for a few seconds, then roared to life. They drove to their destination with relief and a bit of a high. Their new story to tell when they got home was one for the history books.

Chris tied the boat to the dock as Leon hopped out. He started to walk down the dock when suddenly, a sharp pain speared his chest and abdomen. He grunted as he touched his chest and stomach. Chris noticed this and ran up to Leon.

"Leon! What's wrong."

Leon shook him off and insisted he was fine. He resumed to walk off the dock when he felt an even more intense pain in his chest. He began to gag as he felt something on the back of his throat. Putting his hands to his mouth, he coughed deeply till clog was out. Chris ran up to Leon and looked at his hands. Clotted blood covered the palms. Leon's vision began to blur, his world spinning.

"Okay, I guess I'm not alright."

Chris helped his friend inside the empty cabin. The first steps they took in, Leon began to scream, thrashing out of Chris's grasp. He fell to the ground, feeling like something was trying to crawl out of his body, burning him from the inside out. Chris quickly grabbed some herbs off the table, tearing them into little pieces so Leon could take them. But had no clue what to do, or what was causing his friend so much pain.

When he turned, he watched as Leon's eyes rolled to the back of his head, then lose consciousness. Panicking, he ran over and tried to rouse him. Nothing. He dragged and placed the agent on the dirty twin bed. Falling to his knees, he rubbed his face with both hands roughly, totally at a loss of what to do.

Making sure Leon was still with him, he checked his pulse. He sighed, relief spreading through him as Leon's pulse was strong and steady. But with Leon out of commission for the moment, he had no clue to what the next course of action should be. He knew they had to hurry to rescue Claire, but he just couldn't leave Leon in this position.

"What do I do?"

**R**

Wesker watched the whole scene. He was disappointed that the creature lost and died, but relieved. Now, he could deal with Chris on his own , he hoped at least the creature would have eaten Leon. But life wasn't fair and luck was apparently on Leon's side.

After the battle, he noticed that something was wrong with the agent as the two men made it to shore. He quirked his head at this, wandering if he was wounded in the battle. He hoped so. He has grown tired of this Raccoon City's survivor meddling. The persistant Leon S. Kennedy was becoming more and more of a bother. But for the moment, he wouldn't find out the cause, thanks to Chris leading them inside a small old shack.

He snorted and turned his head. Chris the ever saving hero to the rescue. Such a weak quality. He couldn't understand how he survived this long in dangerous situations.

Oh, well. He was curious what was taking place, but he had to make a few calls. One in particular to some supporting members of the new Umbrella he was trying to resurrect. This one will be better than the last. It would be perfect.

"Soon, Chris. Soon."

**Authors Note: Oh Noooooo! What will happen? Heheheheee! Did ya like it? I'm sorry this was late but you wouldn't believe the weekend I had. Let's just say it was a crazy, busy one. FORGIIIIIIIVE MEEEE! LOL Anywhoooooo, got another vote for ya. Should Chris go looking for his sister and leave Leon or stay with him? You decide! Answer soon so I can write the next chapter. REVIEW! PEACE! H**


	12. Chapter 11:At Night the Monsters

**Authors Note: Thanks for your reviews everyone and the votes! This chapter will have yucky plagas, info on Claire and... Hey! You need to read to find out! Enjoy the fan fic. El yeaaaah! Heheheheheheeeeee!**

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**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 11: At Night the Monsters Come Out to Play **

Leon opened his eyes, and for a moment he didn't know where he was. Not a pleasant feeling. But the feeling passed as reality hit. He was in Spain, looking for the President's daughter. Crap. He groggily looked around the cabin, still lying on the floor.

_Where's Chris?_

Leon looked around uneasily as he sat up on his knees. He opened his mouth to call for Chris when suddenly, he felt that pain again. Except this time, it was involving every nerve in his body. He closed his eyes and grunted in pain. The weary agent tried to get up, but to no avail. The pain intensified, causing tears to blur his vision. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

The pain then started in his chest began to shoot down his arms and spread to his head. His blue eyes widened as he looked at his arms in horror. His veins bulged with a black substance that started spreading out like fingers, racing up his arms. He began to panic, whimpering as his blood pumped the alien black substance through out the rest of his body. His panic escalated as the black ooze continued spreading at a fast place, covering his face and reaching for his blue eyes. He screamed as the blackness consumed his sight, taking over his body, mind, and thoughts.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Leon woke up in a sweat, chest heaving with his heavy pants. He felt extreme relief as he realised it was just a dream. Sitting up, the agent looked around the dark room. What he could make out was that he was lying on a lumpy bed in the cabin he lost consciousness in.

"It... It was just a dream," he reminded himself, still deeply unsettled at the realness of the nightmare.

He looked around the sensing that he was alone. Getting off the bed, he stretched as he listened to the pitter patter of the rain hitting the roof. He turned on his flash light that was attached to his belt, giving him a better view of his surroundings. It made the room a lot brighter, although it wasn't the brightest. From the couple of feet the flash light revealed, he saw that the shack was tiny, a single room, and mostly empty. He started to snoop the room when his radio began its beeping again. He answered the call, and saw a worried and perturbed Hunnigan staring back at him.

Hunnigan: _Leon! What the heck happened to you! You haven't made contact for six hours. I was starting to get annoyed._

Leon: _Don't you mean worried? Anyway, I got dizzy after eliminating a threat. I guess I passed out. I'm better now._

Hunnigan: _Dizzy?... Sounds like this is connected to what the village Chief said._

He smirked at the mention of the chief. He immediately straightened up when he saw Hunnigan give him a strange look.

Leon: _Maybe, but enough of that. I'm fine now, no need to worry. I'm across the lake now, and will soon find the key to the locked church._

Hunnigan: _Right. Find that key and rescue the subject._

Leon: _Leon out._

Leon put his radio away and brought out his case. Unlike what he expected, everything inside wasn't ruined. Instead, he found everything was in tip top shape. The case proved to be water proof after all. As he put on his case, he resumed his search. He found two notes addressed to him on a small table. The first one read this...

_Leon,_

_I'm sorry, but I had to leave. You fainted from the pain and I waited as long as I could. I tried everything I could think of to help you gain consciousness. You're one tough guy to wake up. But, I have to save Claire. I know you will understand. _

_Chris_

Leon smiled. He was relieved that Chris didn't stick around and wait for him to wake up. Claire is a top priority. If he didn't go, Leon would have kicked his butt all over the place.

"Hang in there Claire."

He put the note away and read the other note. It basically said where the key was and how sorry the person couldn't help with what's going on in his body. Leon crumbled the letter and threw it behind him.

_Humph! Could have helped me if you explained what exactly is going on in my own body!_

He looked around and found a box with a note on top of it.

_Since I had to leave your sorry a-s, I left what I found in this cabin. Enjoy._

_Chris_

Leon grinned as he opened the box. Inside the box was three clips of handgun ammo, two boxes of shotgun ammo, a flash grenade, a incendiary grenade, one box of TMP ammo, and some broken up green herbs. He put the ammo in his utility belt and the grenades on the clips of his belt. Then he crushed the herbs and put them in his test tubes. He was glad Chris left this stuff behind. He was really low on ammo.

Done with the preperations, he kicked the door open and looked out in the darkness. Lighting crossed the sky as the heavens mercilessly weaped. His smile left as he sobered up. It was time to get busy and find that key. But it did sucked that he would have to get wet in this cold air. Again. And not for the last time, he cursed the jerk that stole his favorite jacket.

Leon left the tiny cabin and headed for the dock. He thought he saw two blue flames flickering in the distance.

"The merchant. I guess it wouldn't hurt to pay a visit."

He then jumped in the boat and cast off.

**Claire wakes up...**

Claire's eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurry as the drugs still lingered. The warped sound of people chanting was hard to distinguished, as if she was at the opposite end of a tunnel. What she could make out sounded like it was in another language. Spanish perhaps. At any rate, she slowly looked around, seeing men standing in front of some sort of alter. Their heads bowed as they chanted and prayed a strange prayer in their native language.

She tried to scoot away, but found that she was chained by her ankles to the stone wall. The chains rattled, alerting a villager closest to her. He turned around and looked at her in annoyance. The Ganado reminded her of a little old lady who gave you a look when you made a sound during church. After giving her that particular look, he turned back around and continued to pray.

Claire wandered how long she was out of it and if Leon and Chris were still alive. Her fears for them also concerned herself. She felt alone and helpless, and was trapped in place with a bunch of complete psychos who were not as human as they appeared. And she hated feeling that way and the position she was in. She couldn't wait till one of those bone heads get closer to her. She would so kill-

Claire's thoughts were interrupted when she saw a blade raise up by the villager up front. She couldn't see what was going on, but she knew it probably involved some sort of sacrifice. Then she saw a woman flip into view, a woman in a red dress. Apparently, she was going to be the sacrifice... Heh! Not now.

She pulled out a gun out of her leg holster and began blasting the villagers. They went down easily except for the man with the blade. Instead, he started to act funny. His eyes were bright red as he ran toward her with his weapon. The woman smiled at his attempt to kill her. She pointed her black-tail at the man, waited till he was nearly upon her, and blew his head off. But instead of falling to the ground doing the usual song and dance, puss and brown goo began to spew out like a fountain. A large puss pocket erupted from the bloody stump. Two yellow, red eyes that bounced around from their connections peered out of the puss pocket. The unnameable thing was a brownish, pink color, with two small grey tentacles whipping around like ribbons blowing in the breeze. It looked like a freaking alien from a B-movie.

"What the hell is that?" Claire exclaimed loudly.

The monster and the woman looked at her like they were not pleased she interrupted their little battle. Claire closed her mouth and decided to keep her comments to herself.

The creature began to morph, the middle breaking apart to reveal a long tentacle with a sharp, razor edge bone, large enough to decapitate a person with one swipe. The woman cocked her head and smirked.

"Hmm. Not bad. But my weopen is more leathel."

With that said, she grabbed a flash grenade from her other thigh and threw it at the advancing parasite. The flash grenade killed the creature right away, causing it to explode. Although Claire protected her eyes when the grenade went off too close to her, her hearing was affected. She slowly opened her eyes, hearing only a loud ringing sound.

The woman in red walked over to her and seemed to be thinking as she looked over Claire. Claire looked up and down at the woman. It was obvious this wasn't a average civilian that just wandered in the village at the wrong time. No, this young beauty dressed to kill was more then she appeared. Her skills, self assurance, and hooded eyes told a different story. A memory of Leon telling her what happened when they separated in Raccoon City came to mind. The smart young woman began to suspect who this talented, mysterious woman was.

_It couldn't be! Leon said he watched her fall to her death back at that hell hole. _

The woman said something, but Claire couldn't hear a word she said.

"I can't hear you. Can you speak louder?"

The woman smiled.

"Well... Isn't that to bad. How are you going to defend yourself if you can't hear? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You know, I should kill you, Claire... But I won't. You have to make sure Leon survives, and continues his part the bigger picture."

The woman then pointed the gun and shot the chains that kept Claire captive, releasing her. The auburn haired beauty stood up and gazed at her savior with uncertainty. From what she heard from Leon, you could never tell what the beautifull spy would do next. Ada brought out her case and took out her special shotgun. It was small and the barrel seemed to have been sawed off, making it even more deadlier in close encounters. She handed it and two boxes of ammo to a stunned looking Claire, then turned around and ran off. The amazed young woman shook her head.

"So that's the famous Ada Wong... Pfft! I don't see what Leon ever saw in her." She said a bit enviously.

But she had to admit, she was pretty cool. She pocketed the ammo and left the same way Ada did. Her hearing started to come back at lest but it was still hard to hear the smallest of sounds.

"Oh, well. I've been in worse situations**. **At least I have a boom-stick!**"**

**Back to Leon**

Leon drove out of the merchant's store, relieved to have heard he had met up with Chris earlier. According to him, the self sufficient young man had met up with the merchant after leaving him at the cabin. The merchant had revealed to Chris a different route the Ganados would have taken that had Claire. It was a different path than the way through the waterfall. Hope bloomed in him after hearing that bit of news. Leon hoped he would meet up with the siblings soon.

He reached the dock and disembarked. After the upgrades he got for his shotgun, handgun, and TMP, he was ready to face the villagers. Jogging over to the gate, the agent ignored the rain that soaked him through his clothes. Discomfort kept on the back burner of his mind. Knowing things would be getting harrier the further he went up ahead, he had holstered the handgun and had his shotgun out for some big trouble. Ready, he went through the gate, armed and dangerous.

The torches barely lit the dark path for Leon.

_Good thing I have my flash light. _

As he walked down the path, he noticed a villager standing near the second torch. Leon raised his shotgun, ready to kill the man with one shot. But this local was acting different and even odder then the others. He didn't yell or run toward him with a weapon. Instead, he just walked towards him with a hazy look in his now red, glowing eyes.

The man started to grunt and shake, his head trembling more than his body. His head suddenly burst, splattering brain matter and juicy chunks of flesh everywhere. The headless body continued walking towards Leon, freaking him out a little. Then, brown and yellow gore bubbled to the surface, revealing a puss pocket with two slimy small tentacles flailing about. The lopsided eyes pinned Leon to his spot as the middle tore open, a tentacle bursting out with the razor bone at the tip.

Leon lifted a lip in disgust and began blasting at the parasite. The creature screeched in pain as chunks of it flesh was torn away by the shotgun. But this only made the thing angry. The tentacle slashed out, stabbing Leon in his shoulder.

"Aaah! You ugly son of a-"

Well, let's just say Leon knows some pretty impressive curses, and that they left his mouth at a impressive speed as he shot at the tentacle, blowing off the bone. The parasite cried out as yellow liquid sprayed all over Leon's face and clothes, though not lingering as badly thanks to the rain. As the tentacle whipped around its now boneless weapon, Leon fired once more at the creature. The strange head exploded, the body finally falling to the ground. The rain continued to wash the gore off his face and clothes.

He passed the melting body and proceeded towards the waterfall. After seeing all that freaky crap, Leon felt safe to say that he's seen just about everything.

"Evasion of the body snatchers,**" **Leon said with a wry smile.

**A Brother and Sister moment...**

Chris fan down the metal stairs. He had gotten delayed for a long time by several villagers. So far, he has been ambushed over and over; each villager seemed more violent and more primal than before. It took more shots to kill them, and some of them looked possessed. Their eyes were red now, which is not a good sign of things to come. And to make matters worse, he was almost completely out of ammo for his handgun, TMP, and Riot gun. The fact that he was running low on all his grenades was further proof that no matter how prepared he had come, he still would have to rely on finding scattered bits of ammo through out the area. His more powerful weapons like his Killer 7, Rocket Launcher, and Sniper Rifle (The one that Leon buys later) were the only weapons he hasn't used yet.

He brought some of Claire's things from what he found on the ground after killing some of the villagers. They had stolen her weapons, leaving poor Claire weaponless. So, if he didn't find Claire soon and if there was any more freaks left after using his more heavy artillery, he would then be forced to use her weapons. Chris hoped the merchant would show up again, and soon.

The sound of shotgun blasts echoed down from up ahead. He ran towards the sound, his riot gun ready to blast away. There was no slowing down as he went inside the opening in the rocky wall, and peered around the corner. He saw his sister fighting three villagers at once. Without thinking twice about it, he jumped over the sandbags and blew off one villagers head.

"Look out!" Claire yelled out as the parasite made its appearance.

Chris's eyes widened at this new development.

Before the bubbling parasite could morph, he put his Riot gun's barrel next to its strange head and blew it away. Claire dodged as one villager swung at her head with his weapon, missing her but stabbing his fellow villager threw the head with the pick axe. Claire took the time from the distraction and grabbed the lantern near by and threw it at the now weaponless villager. He screamed and ran toward the villager with the pick axe in his head. Both caught were now swept up in the hot fire and screamed. Their voices took on the same pitch as the parasites, letting out a glass breaking scream. Claire ran over to Chris and watched as the two fell to the ground, now dead.

Chris hugged his sister tightly.

"I'm never letting you go again! I'm so sorry, Claire."

"It's okay. It's not yours or Leon's fault. So don't blame yourself. We're together again and in one piece... Where's Leon?"' She asked with growing fear in her voice.

Chris pulled back, and explained the short version of what happened. She slapped his head and angrily began to scold him.

"What are you thinking?" she asked with pain in her voice. "You shouldn't have left Leon alone in that condition! Whatever is wrong with him could be serious and life threatening. He could be still in that cabin, dying! And-"

"I did what I had to do. I will not apolagise for the decision I made! Besides, his heart rate was normal. He'll be okay. Leon's tough."

"How do you know he's okay? He could-"

"Claire! I made at the time a choice I thought was right... I almost lost you, again."

His last words came out in a defeated whisper. Claire softened, feeling for her brother. He had to make a split second decision at the time, one that wasn't easy. She could read from his expression that it was hard for him to leave Leon like that.

Grabbing her her brother's hand, she squeezed it as she spoke softly. "I'm sorry Chris. I shouldn't have yelled. I know it was hard for you to leave Leon the way did. I think I understand."

Chris sighed and smiled. "Well, I did bring you something."

She looked curious as he opened his large case up. He pulled out her side-pack, her knife, and her leg holsters.

"Sorry, I couldn't bring every thing. You had a lot of stuff, so I brought the basics. "

Claire smiled and put on her holsters, knife, and side-pack. She had no bulletproof vest or handguns now, but she would manage without them. After all, she still had her Uzis!

"Here's our radio and the grappling gun."

She took them gratefully and looked up at Chris with a large smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find Leon," Claire said with determination

**Back to Leon again**

Leon grabbed the round insignia and pocketed it. Taking out his radio, he made the call.

Leon: _Hunnigan. I found the round insignia. I'll be heading toward the church to rescue the subject_.

Hunnigan_: Good job, Leon. About the two civilians with you, what is the status report on them_?

Leon_: We got separated by some unfortunate events. But I'll be meeting them at the church. Turns out the friend they were looking for is at the church with the subject_.

Hunnigan_: Good. I just got informed that they will be extracted with you and the subject_.

Leon_: Thanks. They'll be happy to hear that_.

Leon ended the conversation and put away the radio. He hoped he was right. Those two attracted trouble like magnets. He walked down the dark passage way, hoping to see them again soon.

**Authors Note: Sorry that this chapter is late. I had to sub today at the elementary school today. So I was really tired and had a bad headache when I got home. My mom did some tricks on me to relieve the headache which made me go to sleep a long time. So here I am with anew chapter. The next one will have more gore and adventure so KEEP READING! Oh! AND REVIEW! **


	13. Chapter 12: El Gigante! AAAAAAH!

**Authors Note: Oooooookaaaaay readers! I like to make an announcement! Next week I'll be subbing for four days! AAAAAAH! So if I'm late on some of the chapters, please be patient. I'll get them done as fast as I can. That is all... READ! HEHEHEHEEEEE!**

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 12: It's El Gigante! AAAAAAAH!**

Leon got out of the boat, happy to see the that he wound up at the Merchant's first dock. He was almost to his destination. But what made him really happy was that the merchant was there with all his goodies. Though he couldn't help but wander how the guy could move from place to place so fast.

"Welcome! What are ya buying?"

Leon purchased the usual ammo and stuff. After business was done, he asked the merchant if he heard from or seen Chris and Claire. The merchant shook his head, and shrugged.

"Sorry Stranger, but I've haven't heard anything new on those two. But I wouldn't worry if I was you. They seem able to take care of themselves against the things that is around here. Eventually, they will turn up."

Leon nodded and thanked the merchant. He then hurried to the ladder around the corner and climbed up, thinking about the Redfields. He couldn't help but be a little worried about his friends... Especially Claire.

He opened the double blue doors at the top and went out into the cold air. The temperature had dropped even more, but it had stopped raining, much to his relief. But the lighting and storm clouds seemed to linger, not ready to go away.

Leon noticed that in the arena, the ground torches were lit. Recently, someone had passed that way. Looking up and all around, he half expected to see villagers waiting to ambush him yet again. He saw none. Not trusting the seemingly deserted arena, he holstered his handgun and brought out his TMP. He had a feeling he was going to need it. His gut feelings were never wrong. Slowly, he made his way inside the quarry, looking warily at the massive double doors. He noticed that the large wooden beam was no longer locking the door. This was definitely not good.

The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, his feeling of being watched growing stronger. When he was part of the way across, he heard yelling around the area. A villager pulled the lever from up above, causing the wooden pole doors to slam shut, making any escape impossible. Leon looked at both ends, seeing his ways of escape vanishing in front of his eyes.

He heard yelling coming from above, two villagers leaped down and pulled both heavy doors slightly open while six men came running out with two thick ropes. Their faces were strained as they pulled the ropes with all of their strength, yelling back and forth to each other. The two men ran over and helped the other villagers out with their task.

Leon heard growling on the other side of the doors, knowing that something big was fighting the villagers and did not want to come out. The men pulled harder, straining and slipping a bit in the mud from the earlier rain. The ropes jerked forward violently, then went slack as if what was on the other end snapped the ropes and was free. The villagers began to back away, knowing there was no escape from what was coming out.

The ground shook and some heavy boom sounds of heavy foot steps were heard, coming closer and closer. Leon back away a few feet. The sounds reminded him of the Jurassic Park movies. He wasn't looking forward to meeting what was coming out. Somehow, he knew that whatever came out of there was worse then Steven Spielberg's vicious lizards.

Roars and low guttaral growls were heard behind the double doors, panicking the villagers. They didn't even seem to care that Leon was there, which worried him.

With a loud crack, a giant fist burst through and shattered the door. Debris and rock flew through the air, some hitting the villagers as they tried to avoid it. Then the whole body of the creature appeared and kicked the other door off its hinges.

A villager pointed and cried out in fear, "El Gigante!"

The giant was extremely ugly. It had not a single hair on its body, giving a freaky new born baby look. The skin was a unhealthy grayish color, making the villagers pasty skin look beautiful in comparison. It's height was about fifteen feet tall, both arms and legs were thick as tree trunks. The misshapen body was heavily but awkwardly muscled, like it had been taking too much steroids. The muscles were way to large and bulky for the giant frame of what was once a man, the skin tissue looked strained from containing the unnatural growths. Completing the complete abominable look, it had on a a pair of torn shorts, giving him a hulk appearance. You know, if the hulk was grey, bald, and uglier then sin.

The creatures open mouth revealed the gums that jutted out, revealing widely spaced rotting teeth. His eyes were dark but kinda foggy looking, it's vision flawed and not up to par. In a way, it was a a being that despite it's rage and gruesome features, deserved pity from what he had endured to become the monster that he is.

El Gigante turned his dark, foggy eyes at the frightened villagers, who were busy cowering away from him. He swooped a powerful fist and punched the nearest villager, killing him on impact. The young villager next to him screamed and put his hands in front of his face as the Gigante brought down his fist and crushed him. The Giant grunted in pleasure at the sickening crunch and jelly sound that came from smashing one of his tormentors. He then turned his gaze on the panicking villagers. With a sick grin, he kicked a villager who was trying to run but kept tripping on his feet. The Ganado flew through the air like a football and fell against one of the little shacks, and began coughing up blood as he laid there dying.

A middle aged villager try to scream as the Giant grabbed him with one hand and squeezed with pleasure, watching as the local began gurgling up blood everywhere. The giant caught sight of the other two villagers who somehow climmbed up the wooden gates and was running down the small ledge. With amazing accuracy, the giant threw the body of their dying friend toward them. All three died on impact, blood splattering everywhere.

The Giant then swooped his fist at Leon, who flipped backwards with ease. El Gigante's fist met thin air. The dull witted giant looked surprised for a moment. Apparently, no person has ever escaped his fists before. Then the giant's eyes grew hard with hatred. He raised his fists and roared in defiance at the agent. Leon smirked, and prepared to fight the biggest man he has ever met. (That included Mendez, the Big Cheese.)

Drool and spit dripped from his jaw as he took the first step forward. He reached for Leon, but was too slow as Leon darted between the giant's legs. The creature looked down and noticed he was gone. Leon opened fire on the giant's back when he put enough distance between the two of them. Snarling like some animal, the giant turned around. He took two steps and quickly kicked the little menace. The agent had tried to jump out of the way, but only half succeeded. He received only half the force of the kick fortunately, which only broke a rib and flung him against the wall. Leon gasped in pain and tried to catch his breath. Still clutching the TMP, he tried to get back up, but his head was spinning from the hit. El Gigante was looming over him as he tried to get his bearings.

The giant raised his foot and looked down at Leon with rage and pleasure. He brought down his foot, anticipating the crunching sound of bones breaking. But Leon rolled over just in time and jumped up and ran over to the burning box torch. He raised his gun and began shooting with a vengeance. Just when the he ran out of bullets in his clip, the giant screamed in pain. He tried to reach around to touch the area that was in pain. Grey slimy tentacles were sprouting like daisies all over the top of his hunched back. With a grunt, the freak knelt on one knee as a centipede/caterpillar like creature sprouted out of his back. Leon hoped that his next course of action wasn't too suicidal as he ran up to the giant and jumped on one knee, then up on the giants back. He whipped out his knife and began hacking and slicing the wiggling creature. After five seconds, his large foe began to stir, alerting Leon to jump off his back.

He rolled as he hit the ground, and quickly whipped around while putting a new clip in his TMP. The giant regained his senses as the creature slipped back in its fleshy, warm home. El Gigante anger at its one weakness being exposed could be felt even by Leon. It took measured steps toward Leon, with growls of hatred spilling from his lips. The agent fired at the creature with opened abandonment, trying to get that parasite to emmerge once more. He soon had to manuever out of the way as the creature swung at him and began to quicken its slow pace.

Leon dodged and tried to fire at the advancing giant, but every time he turned around, the monstrosity was there with his fists furry ready. As the agent was slowly backed into a corner, he heard a familiar howl up on the ledge. Both of the combatants looked up at the interruption. A grey dog looked down back at them with a brave look on his noble face.

"Hey. It's that dog!" Leon said with wander.

It apparently survived after being saved by the agent hours ago. The dog barked as it leaped down, immediately setting out to get the monster's attention. It yipped and snapped at El Gigante's heels relentlessly till finally, it got the attention it seaked. The giant looked at the dog with annoyance and decided to go after the loud animal instead. Leon took this opportunity to to shoot the rest of his clip at the creature as it tried to smash his little friend. He had to reload quickly as the giant turned his attention back at him. Backing away, Leon began shooting again, causing the parasite to make its slimy appearance once again at last. He ran up and jumped on the giant and began the same procedure, cutting the parasite nearly in half. Gore spilled out as it shrieked, but did not die.

Leon jumped off and began the same process again, working with the dog. It would do the distracting while Leon unloaded his bullets in the giant creep.

The creature grew tired of this soon, and quickly walked over to the dead tree and pulled it from its roots. The creature snarled as it began swinging at Leon and the dog. The tired agent cursed as the tree almost hit him several times. The giant had a long reach, which kept Leon on his toes so much that he couldn't fire off a single round. Finally, the giant seemed to grow bored with this decided to just throw the tree at the smaller man. Leon flipped over the tree and quickly aimed at the giant. But the giant was already looming over his smaller stature and snatched him up with one hand.

Leon dropped the TMP as the giant began to squeeze with both hands. He screamed and slowly unsheathed his knife. He could literally feel his bones beginning to give way to the squeezing force. With a shaking hand, he raised the knife and stabbed the giant's large fists that were slowly squeezing him to death. El Gigante screamed as blood oozed from the flesh wound, dropping Leon while holding his hurt hand.

Gasping as he stumbled back on shaky legs, Leon took out his handgun and resumed shooting. The dog nipped at the giants heels, causing the big oaf to get angry, but also confused. He couldn't decide who he was to go after. Finally, the parasite made its third but last appearance. Gritting his teeth, Leon ran and jumped on the giant and brought out his knife. Screaming, he sliced open the creature's chest, causing the yellow goo to splatter all over his body. He ignored this and hacked three more times at where he had the parasite almost hanging by a thread. The remaining flesh finally gave way as the knife severed the parasite in half, causing a torrent of brown and yellow gore to spray in the air.

The giant screamed and stood back up; Leon rolled off with ease. He backed away, weary that the giant would survive even this. El Gigante hollered and stumbled around, spitting up brown goo everywhere. He finally swayed, stumbled, and then let out a last groan as he collasped to the ground. The earth shook when he fell, causing Leon to slightly stumble back. Ding-dong, the giant's dead and the gates were now opened! Looking at his fallen foe, he waited for the creature to melt., But he didn't to Leon's annoyance. Walking over to the dead giant, he raised his leg and kicked it. It was his revenge on the over grown, smelly, butt ugly monster.

"That's for the broken rib."

Holding his hurt rib, he turned and began to walk away, ignoring the body and the steaming hole where the parasite once was. The dog ran up to Leon and licked his hand. Looking down at his furry partner, the agent and smiled.

He patted the dog's head and said with a greatful heart, "Thanks boy."

The dog wagged his tail and ran to the blue doors where the merchant was. He scratched and whined till the doors were finally opened.

"Wolf! You're alive!" The merchant said in surprise. He checked out the dog's leg, inspecting the healing wrapped up wound.

"He's yours?"

The merchant looked up with proud eyes and answered, "Yes. We got separated when-"

He stopped and looked away. Leon didn't press for details. The way the merchant's voice broke told him it was a painful memory.

"Let's just say I've been through hell here, Stranger."

Leon nodded and said as he left, "Take care of him. He's a good dog. His wound isn't that bad, just a bear trap injury."

With that said, Leon walked out the door as it began to rain, again. The merchant looked at the door and smiled.

"Thanks Stranger."

**R**

Sheila moaned as she felt a stick poke her in her side. It was sharp and pointy, each jab hurt as she felt the sharp pointy thing poke her over and over.

"Get up!" She heard a annoying female voice.

_Who the heck is that? Whoever they are, they are so dead. Nobody dares to wake me up with sharp, pointy objects! _

She opened her eyes and saw a mad looking Ashley poking her with a wooden stick.

"Finally! You are the hardest person to wake up! I began to think you were dead."

Ashley dropped the stick and walked back over to her side of the room. Sheila glared at her and slowly sat up. This wasn't what she hoped to wake up to. Stuck with this whiny girl was torture enough, but now she had experienced the hatching of the egg. So not in the brochure!

"You okay?" Sheila asked as she stood up and stretched.

"Yeah. Why you ask?"

Sheila stared at the young, blond, woman. She acted as if nothing happened.

"I'm asking because both you and I felt severe spasms in our bodies. That's not normal you know," Sheila said with patience.

Ashley shrugged and acted like she didn't know what Sheila was talking about.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. (See!) I just fell asleep." She said with calmness.

Sheila smacked her head and groaned. Now she was acting like everything was okay. And that stirred up all kinds of wrong emotions for the teenager.

"You know, De-Nial isn't just a river in Egypt."

"I'm not in denial!"

"Oh yes you are! Your denial doesn't change a thing on what is going on in our bodies, and you know it! Stop acting like a stubborn mule and get it through in your thick skull. Some-Thing-Is-Wrong-With-Us!"

Ashley looked away and didn't say anything else. Sheila let out a sound of frustration. She hoped she could at least talk about it what happened. Sure, she knew what was going on, but that wasn't comforting as it should have been She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid what was going on in her body. The Georgia girl wanted someone to talk about it with and in turn, would tell her that it was going to be okay. But Ashley didn't want to face the music, which left Sheila to her worried thoughts. She knew in the game, that Leon and Ashley get cured at the end. But that didn't guarantee her own survival. Nothing did.

Sheila shook her head from the bothersome thoughts. If Ashley could survive this crappy place and the parasite, than so could she. After all, she was one tough girl according to her friends. Though they could just be telling her, the whole friends code of honor system and all... No, she'll survive. She had knowledge of traps and all the monsters on the game. The odds were more on her favor thanks to playing the game. After giving herself a little pep talk and a short prayer later, she sat down in her corner and checked her watch. Leon should be there soon. She smiled at this. It was strange, she was going to actually meet one of her favorite characters in the gaming world. Only thing that would make it better would to meet Claire Redfield, her all time favorite. And Chris! Definitely Chris. That would be soooo cool!

She turned her head and watched Ashley, then sighed. She knew she wouldn't meet them, which really sucked. Oh well. She could pick on the blond to lift her suddenly sagging spirits. Smiling, Sheila began to sing the worm song.

"Nobody likes me, everybody hates me! Think I'll eat some woooorms!"

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

**R**

Chris and Claire ran over to the door.

"Looks like there is two doors. Which one do we take?" Claire asked.

Chris looked at the doors in the distance and the one in front of him.

"Hmmm. Door number two."

He tried the door and frowned. It was locked. C

Claire sighed and said, "Let's try door number one."

They ran over to the door and tried it with the same result.

"This sucks," Chris grumbled while kicking the door.

Claire frowned till she felt the grappling gun in her holster. She smiled and brought it out.

"Forgetting our presents?"

Chris looked sheepishly at her and brought out his own. "Uuuuh, no. I was just checking if you remembered. Good job."

Claire rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Suuure you did. So which door? Door number one or door number two?"

DUN! DUN! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN!

**Authors Note: Muah!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! Here's another assignment for you readers. Should Claire and Chris go over door number one which contains chainsaw woman and lots of Ganados oooor door number two? Your decision! Hurry and vote so I can write! YEEEEAAAAAH! REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 13:Behind Door Number?

**Authors Note: Yeeeaaaaah! Welcome to my fanfic! I hope you enjoy the chapter! It has drama, action, monsters and gore. Also, I like to thank for the vote and review from Lord SectreX! Yeah! Okay, on with the story! **

**Resident Evil 4: A twist in Reality**

**Chapter 13: Behind Door Number ?**

Leon ran down the bridge, careful not to slip or fall. Lightning made the sky turn to day, giving him a perfect view as he jumped across the gaps in the bridge. When he reached solid ground, he looked around carefully. He knew that someone had to be around, it would be stupid if they let Ashley and that other girl unguarded. Slowly, he began walking up the path, stopping when he heard a low, menacing growl.

The growl grew louder as the Colmillos approached Leon. He noticed that the dog did not look quite right, which wasn't all that big of a surprise. Seeing what he did today made it easier to go with the flow when the weird popped up out of nowhere. Its mouth was overly large, revealing rows of sharp teeth. He noticed that the two fangs were abnormally long. It's eyes held a higher intelligence than that of a normal animal, almost as if it knew who Leon was. Not waiting a second longer, the agent fired at the scruffy looking animal, but the dog didn't even seem shake fazed as it's body began to tremble. Several long pink tentacles sprouted from its back, giving a perfect impression of the snow dogs in "John Carpenter's The Thing." The tentacles whipped forward and tried to give a hundred lashes; so cliche.

Leon jumped back and reached for his fire grenade and pulled the pin. He threw the fire inducing weapon and watched as monster dog finally did something normal, yelping in pain as it tried to shake off the flames. The rain soon helped the abnormal dog, putting out the blazing inferno. The shaggy creature now looked closer to a crispified zombie dog. It's breath was labored, smoke coming from its nostrils. The thing finally collapsed, and melted the same way as its Ganado brethren.

Satisfied, Leon resumed his leisurely pace. He unfortunately didn't get too far before he was ambushed a second time. His usual quick reflexes failed to react in time as another grey, wolfish dog jumped on top of him, trying to tear into his neck. Leon had put his arm up to protect that vital area, but suffered greatly for that. The dog with the over bight clamped down on his arm, shaking his head to rip the flesh. Leon cried out in pain as he grabbed it by the scruff of it's neck and pushed his foot down on its stomach. The eyes of the blood thirsty dog and his own connected as he kicked as hard as he could. The mutt went flying back, landing on it's back. But like with all the parasite infected, it too bounced back up to attack again.

"Enough of this!" Leon growled as he took out his gun and fired his weapon. The Colmillos was trying to charge, but without success.

Standing up, Leon unclasped the flash grenade off his belt loop while firing at the monstrosity. As he pulled the pin with his teeth, the creature's back began to open up for the nasty parasite tendrils. The tentacles whipped around in the air, free to do some damage. Switching to the shotgun, he resumed shooting the ugly beast. Fur and flesh blew off the Colmillos 's chest; a gaping hole was pouring blood and brown gore on the ground. The dog both growled and yelped from the pain, but didn't stop from advancing. Leon aimed at the dog's head and fired again, successfully blowing the dog's head away. The tentacles went limp as the body dropped to the ground. It twitched as it too melted away.

Leon stood there panting, feeling the rain yet not noticing it. He survived the guard dogs attacks in one piece, though not totally unscathed. His injured, throbbing arm was a testament to that fact. Strangely, he was thankful in a way that Claire didn't have to see the two freaks of nature. She always did have a soft spot for the canine friends of this planet.

He looked at his severly wounded arm, the flesh looked as if it had just went ten rounds with a lawn mower. He was losing blood too quickly, making him very light headed. The wounds needed immediat tending, but he really didn't want to face any more enthusiastic freaks at the moment. The dizziness, pain, and rain made a bad combination.

He ran over to the church door's and put in the round Illuminados insignia. The door clicked, giving Leon notice that he could go inside. He pushed the doors opened and slowly entered. The place was empty. He hurried to a wooden bench and took out his med-kit. As he looked at his wound, he could see that the dog nearly tore a huge chunk out. The flesh of his forearm was red and completely shredded. The wound (or wounds are more like it) was about six inches across and the deepness of that bite and tear was exposing meat.

Leon quickly grabbed his first aid spray and used it. The spray dissolved and bubbled quickly, both inside and outside the wound. He covered the wounds with his hand, helping the spray to slow the bleeding down to a stop, which gave him time to stitch it up. After he was done, he added water to a crushed green herb and ate it. The dizziness began to pass, showing Leon that yet again, the treatments worked.

After placing the patch on his arm, he put up his kit and looked around the spooky church. It was definitely the creepiest building he has ever had the displeasure of seeing. The Los Illuminados symbol was everywhere.

"They definitely have no taste at all. Even I can do better than this Gothic theme."

With the mission in mind, Leon worked through the lingering pain and checked the room, picking up the pesetas he found on the alter. When done, he went over to the ladder that was hidden from view. As he climbed up, he began to wander when he would see Chris and Claire.

"Where are you two?"

**R**

"Door number one." Chris said confidently.

Claire sighed and grumbled at how he had her run all the way to door number two before he decided on door number one!

"I just don't have a good feeling about that other door," He replied while looking back at the door they were leaving.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going and find Leon and the girls."

They ran over to the first door and aimed at the only wooden edge at the top.

Chris looked at her with a stern look and said, "On three. One. Two. Three!"

They zipped up quickly and flipped over the gate. As they landed, they heard some screaming from above.

"You were saying about your feeling?" Claire asked with a glare as both brought out their weapons. Young Miss Redfield with her Uzis and Chris bringing out his TMP out of the case.

Villagers began dropping from the top pillars as if they were the rain itself. The team began shooting, mowing down each villager like they were in a shooting gallery. When Plagas reared their ugly heads, they soon were popped like zits, spraying their goo all around. When one reloaded the other threw a flash grenade, stopping the villagers in their tracks. After killing about twenty villagers, they could finally take a breather.

"How you holding up?" Claire asked while checking her ammo.

"Not good. I'm out of ammo for the TMP. I'll have to switch to my more powerful guns soon, once I run out of ammo for my Riot gun and handgun." Chris replied with a frown.

Claire tossed him some of her ammo. Chris tried to refuse, but she wouldn't hear of it.

"You're my brother. I gotta make sure you survive or I'll have nobody to nag. Just take the shotgun ammo and pistol ammo. I still have plenty of ammunition for my Uzis."

Chris shook his head and pocketed the ammo. His sister could be a pain sometimes, but she was a pain that had your back.

"Let's go."

He put up the TMP and brought out his Black-tail. They slowly continued on in the pouring rain, looking everywhere for some more of those pesky Ganados. They found not a living soul in the rest of that area. A relief of course, but not something to put their faith in.

They checked the shack and found some more ammo and a grenade. Other than that, they could move on to the next area.

"How much you want to bet that this door is locked too." Chris announced with a knowing look.

As we all know, the door was locked. The siblings brought out their grappling guns and aimed.

Claire said in her best, Alexia, mock voice, "Shall we, my dear brother?"

"Yeeees, my queen sisteeeer."

They fired and zipped quickly up the line. By now they were getting used to the quick zipping and swooshing, which was a good thing. I know I wouldn't. Zipping, whooshing, the whole flipping over thing. Not as easy as it looks. Anyhow, as they landed on the other side, they were greeted by men in the arena and on top of the wooden platform surrounding them. At first, the villagers looked at them in surprise, which is a first. They didn't expect these two to come. It was kinda awkward to tell the truth. Chris and Claire looked at each other and quickly brought out their guns again, making their introductions in the most violent way possible. Chris blew a hole in the nearest villager's stomach, delivering the first blow.

The man looked at his stomach and fell to his knees. Then what seemed like a small portian of hell, broke loose. Men threw their weopans while others tried to get close enough to rip off the Americans heads. The Redfields tried to dodge and hold their ground, but the little arena was not a very good strategic place to fight. They began to recieve blows and cuts on their body, but they never stopped fighting. Never gave up!

"We got to get out of here!" Claire yelled above the commotion.

(Riot gun cocks) BOOM! "Try to head for that nearest ladder to your right!" (Riot gun cocks again.) BOOM!

They stood back to back and began clearing the path slowly, gaining ground the more they killed. Just as they reached the ladder, a woman with a Jason mask with the dreaded chainsaw kicked the ladder down. She started the chainsaw and let out a blood thirsty scream. As they backed away, the wall across from them suddenly burst, another chainsaw woman making her untimely entrance. Except this one decided that the cloth look wrapped around her face was more stylish. And really, who would argue? Lady with a chainsaw, people!

The first chainsaw lady jumped down, and charged at the same time the other one did. It was the battle of the Bella sisters!

**R**

Leon grunted with relief as the light puzzle was completed, making his way to rescue the girls cleared at last! He approached the door a little sluggishly, all the wounds he received so far were getting him down. Although he had taken a herb a few minutes ago, he still felt a little drained.

He shook his head, and raised his gun up. Now was not the time to show any hint of weakness. He needed to be strong for the two girls in the next room. A weary, slumping hero wouldn't be encouraging to the damsels in distressed, so he straitened his posture and slowly turned the door handle. He began to open the door when suddenly, a big piece of wood was chucked at his head. He quickly dodged it and entered the rest of the way.

"For crying out loud! Stop trying to hit people with wood!"

"Get away! Take her! She's evil! She'll be of more use to you!"

"Calm down." Leon tried to calm the trembling blond while putting away his gun.

"I am not! But if you want to see evil, I'll show ya evil!"

"Ladies, I think-"

"Stay away! Both of you! Or I'll hit you with this!" Ashley said while raising another piece of wood.

Sheila stepped in front of Leon and looked at the ridicules acting girl with her hands planted on her hips.

"Will you just stop being stupid? Please! Does he look like a villager!"

Ashley slowly raised herself from the dirty floor, and studied Leon. She noticed that he didn't look like the others. But she still didn't trust him. She didn't trust anyone! Especially since the crazy red head endorsed the handsome man. In her mind, that wasn't a good thing. So, she raised the wood with wide eyes.

"I don't know what to think anymore! Just-

"It's okay. I'm a government agent of the United States. Your father sent me here to rescue you."

The panic in her eyes left as she lowered the weapon.

"My... f-father?"

"Yes, your father. We'll be out of here in no time."

Ashley burst into tears, she was so happy that she would finally get out of this nightmare... And away from HER!

Leon looked a little lost and looked at Sheila. He had a look like he suspected her for being the reason Ashley was acting this way. The teenager put on her most innocent smile. She wasn't the reason why her highness was acting wacky... Weeell, maybe she was half the reason. Heheheheeeee!

"Don't mind her. She's under a lot of stress. She even gave me a concussion when I first stepped through the door."

"Shut Up!"

"See what I mean? Any-who, I'm She-"

"Sheila. Yeah, I know. Chris and Claire wrote me, told me all about you. Glad to finally meet you in person. I'm Leon," the hottie answered as he extended his hand.

Sheila looked surprised as she shook hands with him.

_Claire and Chris... talk about meeeee? They know me? Holy mother of pearl, I'm a friend of the Redfields!_

"Are you okay?" Leon asked, he looked a little worried.

Sheila nodded and forced herself to step back from that revelation. She was a little confused. Why did Krauser lie about her knowing Leon when she apparently knew the siblings instead? Wait... Wesker! Then that means-

"After I drop you two at the extraction point and get you on the helicopter, I'm going back for them."

"Them? You mean they're here?"

"Yeah. They came looking for you when they received a heads up where you were."

Sheila's head spun at this little bit of news. This will most assuredly and drastically change the plot. Which means...

"Wait a minute! You said that you were going back for them. What happened?"

Leon looked away for a minute, sad to tell her the truth.

"Claire was kidnapped while we were on our way to get the key for this church. Chris and I tried to cross the lake to rescue her, but we were detained by an unforeseen circumstances. After I passed out, Chris went on to look for her. That was about six or seven hours ago. I was hoping they were-" Leon's voice broke, he tried to hide the emotion that was trying to break his cool, agent emotional walls.

Sheila put her hand on his shoulder and said in a encouraging voice, "Hey, they'll be alright. Those two can handle themselves. It's not your fault that it happened this way. Keep your chin up, Special Agent Leon Scott Kennedy." Sheila ended the talk with a lighter tone.

Leon looked down at the short young woman and smiled. He now knew what Claire meant by her being a sweet girl when she wants to be.

Seeing that he had completed the first part of his mission, Leon decided that it was time to contact Hunnigan.

Leon: _Got good news. I've reached the subject and the civilian. Their unharmed and appear to be unharmed._

Hunnigan:_ Good job, Leon! Have you reached the two other civilians?_

Leon: _Not yet. But I am confident I will soon. If not, I'll still complete the mission._

Hunnigan: _Good. I'll be sending the chopper at the extraction point. See you soon, Leon._

Leon: _Leon out. _

"Come on, let's get out of here."

He turned around and began to walk out the door with his gun out and ready. Sheila followed close behind the handsome blond while Ashley reluctantly followed behind the red head. The teen took quick looks around as they walked to the ladder. The so called church was creepier when you're actually there then playing the game!

Leon jumped down with ease, although he seemed to favor the broken rib he received from El Gigante. He looked up and waited.

Sheila began to step down when he said, "Don't. It'll take more time that way. Just jump and I'll catch you."

Sheila gulped. She loved heights and climbing trees and riding roller coasters, but something as simple as jumping down at that height and trusting someone to catch you was a different story. She really didn't want to waste time, but this was a little bit too much.

Ashley smiled at Sheila's discomfort. She believed that she finally spotted the younger girl's weakness.

"What's the matter? Afraid of heights?"

Sheila glared at her and pretended to step on her foot.

"Ouch!"

"Oops. My bad."

With that said, she looked down at Leon and said firmly, "You better not drop me!"

Leon gave a small smile and said confidently, "Don't worry. You can trust me... I promise."

Sheila could see the sincerity in his eyes. She knew Leon was a man of his word, so, she swallowed her fear and took a leap of faith. The air rushed through her hair as she fell. Next thing she knew, she was in a pair of hard, muscled, strong arms. He let her down gently and smiled. Sheila melted, as any warm blooded female would.

"See. Told you that you could trust me."

She smiled brightly at him and stepped back as Leon looked up at Ashley. She suddenly crossed her legs and held her hands over her skirt.

"Errrrg! You pervert!"

Leon looked embarrassed and tried to tell her he wasn't looking at her panties, but that just got Ashley even more angrier.

Sheila rolled her eyes and called up to Ashley, "Get over yourself. He isn't interested in your goods, honey. Quit wasting time!"

Ashley looked offended but complied. She landed in Leon's arms with a squeal. After getting on her feet, Leon suggested that they hurry.

They just started to run when they heard the smooth voice of the cult leader. And no, the creepy guy needs no introduction from me.

"I'll take the girls."

They stopped and looked at the purple robed, evil man.

Leon glared at the older man and sneered, "Who are you?"

"If you must know. I am Osmund Saddler, the master of this fine... religious community."

"What do you want?"

"To demonstrate to the whole world our astounding power, of course. No longer will the United States think they can police the whole world forever. So, we kidnapped the President's daughter, in order to give her our power, then send her back."

"No." Ashley said while having a short flashback. She grabbed her neck and said with a weak voice, "Leon. I think they injected something in my neck."

"Me too. Except I remember every painful moment of that disgusting experience... Thanks to you, Saddler."

Saddler seemed to be pleased at this. Sicko!

"What did you do to them?"

"We just planted in them some little gifts. Hahahahaha! There's going to be one hell of a party when they get home. But first, I'll keep both girls here for a little while longer. The red young one needs more... discipline and teaching. Ashley will stay while I ask her father for a little... donation. You'll be surprised to how much money it takes to keep this church up and running."

"Your faith and money will lead you nowhere, Saddler."

Saddler ignored him and said with a unnerving calmness, "Oh, I forgot to tell you that we gave you the same gift."

Leon looked thoughtful as he remembered that dream.

_Guess it wasn't just a dream after all. _

"While I was unconscious."

Saddler continued in that mocking voice of his, "Oh, I truly hope you enjoy our small but special contribution. When the eggs hatch, you will become my puppets. Involuntarily, you'll do as I say. I'll have total control over your little minds. Don't you agree that this is a evolutionary way of propagating one's faith."

"Sounds more like a alien invasion if you ask me."

Saddler smirked as two Ganados monks burst through the doors with crossbows, aimed at our favorite agent. Leon looked quickly at the girls and grabbed their hands, taking off for the fragile glass window.

Sheila tossed over her shoulder as they ran, "Asta lavesta, Losers!"

Leon increased his speed and hit the large stain glassed window first. The glass shattered as the agent and the two girls jumped through. Ashley's face was in a frozen mask of fear as Sheila's was set in pure, unadulterated joy. Leon hit the ground first, landing on his side with the hurt rib. He let out a low groan but quickly recovered when he saw the two girl land with less grace then he did.

"Hey, you two okay?" He asked with concern.

Both girls looked at him. Ashley with a sad face while Sheila had a "That was freaking awesome" look.

"Leon, what's going to happen to us?" Ashley asked with fear in her voice.

Leon gave her an encouraging look.

"Nothing. We'll figure something out, I promise. Now, let's get out of here."

"End of chapter two for us," Sheila squealed, gaining some strange looks.

**R**

**Back to Chris and Claire's predicament, ten minutes earlier...**

"Aaaaaaaaaaarg!" screamed the hockey masked Bella sister as she lunged forward with her chainsaw.

Claire ducked and tried to maneuver away with her brother. But each time they dodged one, another would swing and try to saw off their heads. Chris shot the cloth faced Bella in the gut, knocking the crazy female Ganado off her feet with the powerful blast from his Riot gun. He grabbed Claire's hand and rushed to the other ladder. A Ganado tried to knock down the ladder, but was stopped when Claire shot him. He fell down as the two siblings climbed the ladder.

They turned around as soon as they got up there, and saw a Bella sister climbing the ladder.

"Pay back!" Chris said while kicking the ladder down.

A male Ganado grabbed Claire from behind, trying to break her neck. Claire elbowed the villager's rib twice before he let her go, giving Chris the opportunity to blow off his head, causing another parasite to emerge. Kinda redundant of them.

They ran down the platform and jumped down on the other side. Their flight to the doors was halted by yet more stinking villagers. Claire noticed the cart with the explosive barrel in it. She didn't question why they would have a dangerous item in that cart, she was just grateful they did. She fired at the cart. BOOOOOOM! Fire and debris flew in the air along with body parts. Gruesome but oh so satisfying!

The sound of twin chainsaws were heard above their heads, alerting them to the two crazies.

"Run!" Chris shouted.

They ran with all their might and reached the dying fire that was left simmering from the explosion. Lightning struck across the pouring heavens as both Bella sisters jumped in front of them.

"Can't they take a hint?" Claire said with frustration.

As they backed away, the parasite Ganado that they left jumped a few feet behind them. Either way they looked at it, they were trapped. At one end, a parasite with a loooong tentacle with a sharp bone on the tip ready to inflict major damage, and on the other the side was the chainsaw freaks who enjoyed dismembering innocent folks. Decisions, decisions...

Claire faced the parasite as Chris face the twins. The parasite drew closer and closer while the Bella sisters revved up their chainsaws. Hockey masked Bella sister number 1 charged first, her chainsaw raised in the air. Chris grabbed his sister's hand from behind and ordered, "Duck!"

She complied. The siblings ducked at the right moment. Her chainsaw slashed the air where they just were, slicing off the tentacle that just tried to take Claire's head off. It screamed, distracting the female villager as Chris and Claire ran behind the parasite. Claire pushed the parasite in the villager's human suit toward the confused Bella sister. She let out a scream and used her chainsaw to saw through the creatures bubbly head. Brown and yellow liquid sprayed across the hockey mask as she slaughtered the parasite. An inhuman scream came from the parasite as it was being destroyed.

The second sister ran past the first sister and quickly slashed at the siblings. Her blade slashed Claire's shoulder, causing Chris to see red. He shouted and began shooting her head over and over. Soon, the only thing left was a bloody stump. No parasite popped up to say boo.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Screamed the Hockey masked Bella sister as she charged the two who killed her sister.

Claire took out her Broken Butterfly and fired. A huge hole appeared in the females abdomen. She stopped running and looked down at her wound. Blood and brown liquids poured out of her. She looked up one last time and let out a gurgling sound. Then she fell to the ground and moved no more.

They stood there alone as the rain lightened up a bit. Chris looked at Claire as she held her wounded shoulder.

"Let's go."

They left the death trap gratefully. And good riddance. Now they were in a more open area. They saw a big, old, two story house with some wood piled up on the side. A small shack was near the house, with a unlit torch in front of it. Chris motioned toward the house, and slowly approached it. A light showed through the gaps in the boarded up windows. Taking the lead, he opened the door. Holding out his gun, he resumed to check out the room. The ceiling light was on, revealing a old but somewhat clean room with a table in the middle. The place seemed to have been abandoned about a week or two ago, judging from the dust on the shelves. There was still a glass of water half empty on the table. He looked at the stairs and motioned for Claire to stay there as he went to search the rest of the house.

He slowly walked up the stairs. Each step he took made a creaking sound, making it impossible to make a stealthy entrance. But that didn't stop Chris from proceeding. With his Riot gun ready, he made his way to the top. They're was no one there, so it seemed. After quickly checking the room, he walked back downstairs.

"All clear."

He made Claire sit as he checked out her wounds. She had minor scratches and some bruises, but nothing to serious. Her shoulder wound looked worse than it did. With care, he sprayed all her wounds and gave her a piece of green herb. After putting a bandage on the shoulder wound, he took care of himself.

Claire stood up and looked around. She wondered what it was like before all these people went crazy. They had to have kids. Speaking of which, she noticed that they haven't seen a single child in her entire nightmarish stay here. She shuddered at the thought of what they could have possibly done to the children.

The door burst opened suddenly, revealing a soaked Luis with a pile of wood in his hands. He dropped his load and quickly pulled out his Red9. The Redfields had their guns out to, making an unfair number against Luis.

He smirked and said, "Drop your weopans."

"Hmmm. Let me think. You got a simple but powerful handgun while my sister has Uzis pointed at your mid torso. I myself have my Riot gun pointed at your 's three guns to your one. I think you should drop your weapon." Chris replied with a smirk of his own.

Luis's smirk turned into a full bloom smile as he walked inside the house. He looked at Claire with an appreciated glance, while holstering his gun.

"Easy, Americanos. I'm not your enemy. You can't blame me for trying to defend my little hideout."

Chris slowly lowered his gun. He gave the Spaniard a piercing look. He didn't like the way he looked over his sister. Why couldn't Claire stop growing up? Then he wouldn't have to worry about the creeps out there looking at his sister.

"And who are you?" asked a curious Claire.

He gave her one of his most charming smiles.

"Luis Sera, and you are?"

Chris stepped up and got between them, crossing his arms.

"I'm Chris, and she's Claire. Now, why don't you leave and find another spot."

"Chris! Sorry Luis, but my brother can be a little over protective of me. You must be the man Leon was tied up with."

Luis lost his smile as he grew serious.

"Leon... Is he alright?"

"Yes... I think so. We got separated a while ago."

Luis looked away and began to pick up the load he dropped. Chris helped him, all the while studying him. He seemed fidgety and nervous, much like a man hiding something.

"Are you going to start a fire? That wouldn't be wise." Chris commented.

Luis shook his head and started to act like the Luis Sera we all know and love.

"No. I was boarding up the windows when I ran out. So, I had to get more to finish. I wouldn't mind the extra hand, unless you want to question me some more."

Chris snorted and helped finish picking up the wooden boards. As the men finished the windows downstairs, Claire began gathering supplies. She liked the Spaniard. It was nice to have a guy notice ya for more than just a partner or sister. Now, if Leon could only... She shook her head and smiled. Leon seemed to pop up in her thoughts all the time these days.

Luis turned around after finishing and saw the radiant smile.

"When a beautiful woman such as yourself smiles like that, she's usually thinking of a very special man." Luis said with a wolfish smile. He hoped he was wrong.

Claire blushed just a little and said in a flirting tone, "Is that so? Maybe I am, but it's hard to think of another man when you're standing right in front of me."

Luis grinned and sauntered on over.

"So there is a guy. I'm glad I can distract you with my strong presence."

Claire smiled sweetly and gave a mocking, batting of the eyes. Luis laughed. Finally, a woman he could flirt with! The woman in red was not so giving. But the way the brother was glaring at him, he knew he better stop.

"Well baby, too bad there is another. It breaks my heart at the lost opportunity."

Claire this time laughed and continued with dividing the supplies she found in the house. Yep. Luis was definitely a joy to be around. He knew how to really flirt like a professional. But he just wasn't Le-. There she goes again!

Luis sat down at the table and propped his feet up.

"So... How do you know Leon?"

**Authors Note: Sorry this fiction is later than usual. I've been reeeeeaaaaaly busy. Anyways... I like to repeat what I said a while ago. Starting Sept. 17, I'll be subbing that week. I get one day off that week, thank goodness. I will be slower writing chapters so don't be surprised if you only see one or two chapters posted. I'll try my best to post them up. Thank you for your patience! Remember, REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! BYYYYEEEEEE!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE RESIDENT EVIL CHARACTERS OR THE RIGHTS TO THE GAME! PLEASE DON'T SUE! Heheheheheheeeee! I sure do wish I did, though!**


	15. Chapter 14:Back to Crazy Town!

**Authors Note: Hello, my pretties! Heheheheheheheeeee! Another chapter for yooooou Resident Evil fans! Read and enjoy!... OR I'LL GET WESKER TO TRACK YOU DOWN AND, and... hmmmm. Tickle you? Okay, that was lame! LOL Naaah, I won't do that! Just sit back and enjoy yourselves. Review when you're done! Oh, and thanks for your reviews! Keep them coming! Okay, now read and enjoy!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 14: Back to Crazy town!**

Okay. So far our heroes have battled giant fish/salamander, chainsaw creeps, an El Gigante, and Los Plagas! Basically, it has been a rough day for our beloved characters. Now, Claire and Chris are holed up in a old house with Luis, while Leon has just saved our two fighting gals from the waaaay creepy church. They met Saddler and made a quick exit. That's where we left off with our hero Leon, the blond, and the red head. Let's see how they're faring.

The rain pored heavily as the three stepped outside of the church. The girls were shivering already, especially Sheila. She only had on clothes for summer, after all. She looked at Leon as he motioned to them to follow. They didn't get far when they saw about eight villagers with torches.

_"Ooookaaay... Why does their torches stay lit in the rain? Isn't that defying the laws of the universe or something? It just doesn't make since,"_ Sheila thought with nothing but calmness.

Ashley however was freaked to see the villagers. She pointed out the cart and barrels to Leon.

"Leon! Look!" Ashley said while pointing. (See?)

Sheila rolled her eyes and thought, _"Like he didn't already see that!"_

Leon, who did already see this great opportunity, was aiming at the barrel which happens to be another explosive barrel. He fired as Ashley yelled in frustration.

"I didn't mean to shoot it! I meant to Push it at the vi-"

She was interrupted by an explosion, which made the cart burst into flames and roll down the hill and kill six villagers.

"You would think they would get out of the way when a cart consumed in flames is rolling down at them," Sheila commented.

Leon slightly smiled. But the smile vanished as he saw two villagers running toward them. One had a torch (that remained unfazed by the rain!) while the other had his trusty pitchfork. Leon told the girls to back up while he took care of this. Ashley listened, but Sheila only took one step back. She reeaaally wanted to see this! What gamer wouldn't? The curious teen wandered if he was as good when she isn't playing him on the game.

Leon didn't have time to order her back again since he had to fire at the crazy Ganados coming his way. He shot the pitchfork guy in the knees which made the man fall comically on his face. The other one stopped and put the torch in front of his face and took a deep breath. Sheila always wandered how they could make the flames shoot out at you in the game. She seen people do that with liquor in their mouth and then spray it at the flames, which made the same results. But these people didn't do that. Huh, oh well.

Just as the man released his breath and blew, Leon shot the man in the eye which caused him to jerk and stupidly set his clothes on fire. He screamed and ran around in a circle. Sheila smiled. That wasn't quite in the game, but it was still funny how he ran around in the circles, shouting curses in Spanish.

Leon had pity on the Ganado and quickly dispatched him with another shot. Meanwhile, the pitchfork guy had abandoned his weapon and decided to take matters in his own hands. He appeared out of the blue and grabbed Leon by the throat with both hands, and started to choke him while his red eyes shined with blood lust. Sheila saw her hero being choked and quickly came to his aid. Getting down on her knees, she leaned in and bit the villager's ankle.

"Ayyyyyyyyyeeee!," the villager cried out in pain.

He dropped Leon and tried to kick her off. She held on like a leach while Leon fired off three shots, hitting the man in the head. The head of course exploded, revealing the parasite. Sheila let go and couldn't stop staring at the disgusting site. The creature was the ugliest thing she ever saw in person. Uglier then Saddler!

Leon grabbed her and dragged her away just as the bony tentacle swooped down to slice her face open. He fired at the creature as he pulled her back three more feet. The 9mm bullets only seemed to make it more angry, the tentacle flailing wildy at them. Leon quickly holstered his gun and brought out his trusty shotgun. He fired once, the parasite stumbled back clutching its damaged... head? He fired a second time, which proved useful by blowing the freaky parasite head/thing away. The body took two more steps before it fell to the ground, dissolving away.

Sheila got up from the muddy ground and looked at Leon. He quickly examined her to see if she was hurt.

"Leon, it's alright. I'm fine, except for the blood and pieces of that guy's head on me. But hey, at least the rain is washing that away."

"Don't ever try to risk your life like that again! You could of been ki-"

"Oh! That's the thanks I get for saving your sorry butt, hmmmmm! You so needed my help, buddy boy!"

"I was fine. I had my gun!" Leon said with a offended look.

"As much as it is fun to see you yell at Nunya, can you do this later! This is not the time for petty fights!"

Leon and Sheila looked embarrassed at their squabbling.

Looking at Sheila, Leon sighed and said, "She's right. Now is not the time or place for this. Let's go."

"Yeah, I concure. Besides, I'm freezing my butt off here."

They quickly left the graveyard and ran down to the secret passage that lead to the village. After climbing down the ladder, Leon looked curiously at Ashley.

"You called her Nunya back there. Why?," Questioned Leon.

"That's her name... Well, I think it's her other name," Ashley said, remembering Leon calling her Sheila.

The amused teen held back her laughter. Leon noticed this of course, and said while looking Sheila in the eye, "Nunya means None-of-your-Business."

Ashley looked embarrassed. She gave Sheila yet another shooting daggers glare, obviously trying to think of a way to get back at her. The unrepentant girl smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, it's not my fault that went above your head."

Leon tried to give her a glare, but it turned out to be a half glare/smile. Ashley looked extremely offended. Sheila wanted to enjoy the slightly older girl's reaction, but knew that their mutual dislike of one another was making things more difficult. So, she decided to try to make amends. Their lives were on the line, it wouldn't do any good to be at each others throat when danger lurked at every corner.

"Don't take it personally. I was just joking. Okay?"

Ashley snorted and walked down the tunnel. Sheila sighed and looked at Leon.

"I don't know what went on back at the church, but what ever happened, please don't make it worse," Leon said with a pleading look in his eyes.

Sheila sighed and replied, "I don't know. My mouth has a mind of its own. If she starts, I'll be the one who finishes... Oh for Pete's sake, lighten up! Can't you tell when I'm kidding? I'll be as good as I can. But watch out! The crazy me will find her way out!"

Leon sighed and walked down the passage. This was going to be a long night.

**R**

Chris continued to stare at the Spaniard before him. He was just one of those guys that Chris couldn't stand! Well, maybe he would have liked him before he flirted with his sister. Now, he wanted to strangle the creep.

_Look at him. He knows I'm ready to tear him a new one. Giving my sister those heated looks! And she isn't helping! Flirting right back at him, batting those long eyelashes... That's right creep, look over here. I got a nice present for you._

Chris had his Rambo knife out and was sharpening it, taking his time. He gave Luis a crazy smile. Time to pull out the old hunting stories and the fly bit.

Chris sliced the knife in the air and said with a fake happy voice, "Yes! Did you see that! Just circumcised a fly. Heh. This knife has seen a lot of murder- heh, almost let it slip. Action."

Claire rolled her eyes. He's doing that thing Rocky taught him with the fly bit. Unfortunately, Sheila's father had taught her already gun ho brother some new tricks in getting rid interested males. Rocky was a professional with that. He did it with his own sisters and daughters.

_Mental note: Tell Sheila that her dad needs to stop shaping Chris into his own immage. He reeeaaally doesn't need the info. My brother's crazy enough as it is! _

Luis looked a little creep-ed out, but at the same time, amused. He could tell that Chris really loved his sister and would do anything to protect her. He liked that quality in him. It showed that the glaring man had strength of character.

Chris continued with his macho act.

"If we survive this, let's go hunting. You do like hunting?"

"Yes. I used to hunt all over this area with my father," Luis answered with a charming smile.

"That's great, great. Of course I have to warn ya," Chris said with complete seriousness.

_"Oh no! Not the hunting bit!" _Claire thought with embarrassment.

"The friends of Claire's I take hunting usually get lost... And never come back. Heh. Isn't that tragic? We've never found the bodies - I mean the unlucky men."

Luis began to stare at him like he really has went insane. Claire scowled, smacking Chris beside his head. She sometimes thought that they couldn't possibly be related. She stood up and walked over to the window and peered through one of the cracks, thinking of Leon, Sheila, and what lays ahead of them.

Chris gave Luis a evil look, and put his thumb to his throat and gave a slicing mime. Luis definitely got the hint. Not that he really needed it, he knew she was interested in someone else. She didn't seem the type of person who would jump the next guy just because the other guy hasn't paid any attention to her. She seemed loyal.

Satisfied, Chris went back to sharpening his knife. He felt like he made his point. Now, he only had to interrogate Leon if he decided to make a move. Heh. He's going to have measure up to Chris's expectations. And the odds of any man (including Kennedy) was not good.

"Turn off the lights!" Claire hissed.

Luis quickly got up on the chair he was sitting on and blew out the ceiling lamp. Chris was already upstairs doing the same. Quietly, the Spaniard made his way to Claire's side.

"What is it?," he whispered.

She motioned with her head for him to see for himself. He looked through the crack. In the distance, he spotted some villagers walking on the bridge. There was twenty of them, some were holding torches. His stomach tightened at the sight.

_"Please don't be looking for me!" _he thought with growing fear.

If they were looking for him, they would search this house from top to bottom, tearing everything apart to find him. After all, he removed the parasite from his body, and knows the exact location where the specimen of the special parasite was. In his pocket.

As they drew closer, he readied his gun, Claire doing the same. The Ganados didn't seem to be in any hurry. In fact, they just looked exuasted and tired from the rain. He could hear one of them faintly argue with what appeared to be the group leader. Luis translated in a soft voice what the men were saying.

"The man who is arguing with the group leader is saying that they need to rest and stay inside the house till the rain has stopped. The leader disagrees, telling them that they need to follow Mendez's orders and continue to the sky lifts. They have to get into position and wait for the agent and the two girls to pass through... They don't have time to rest. Now more men are arguing that they should at least wait inside until the rain lessons... I can't hear the rest, he's talking to low. Sh-t, there getting closer! Get ready!"

Luis backed up to the table and prepared for the entrance of the villagers. Claire stepped up on the first step of the stairs and waited with her Uzis. Chris sneaked down with his Riot gun and stood by his sister. They waited in the tense silence. The villagers footsteps stopped near the door, arguing yet again. Luis felt a bead of sweat drip down his nose, he didn't bother wiping it away. All three of them could hear their heartbeats. It was deafening. The voices raised as the door began to open. They could faintly see the out line of a villager's arm as he had the door part way opened. They could hear the argument more clearly.

Chris and Claire could catch a phrase or two and could definatly hear the cursing. The villager finally closed the door, leaving with the other villagers toward the switch that opened one of two paths. They switched the lever to the right, closing the one that Claire and Chris came from.

When the mob left, they all let out a collected sigh of relief. They re-lit the ceiling lamps and sat down around the table.

Claire tensed and broke the silence, "What if they went down the path that we just cleared of their buddies?"

Chris looked at her with apprehension. Luis soon eased their fears.

"Don't worry. They took the other path."

"And how do you know this?" Chris asked with a bit of irritation in his voice.

Luis smiled and explained, "The path you two came out of was opened, si?" They both nodded. Luis continued, "Well, there is two paths. The left one that you came out of was unlocked. The locks are usually a gate that shuts down over the door, preventing anything coming out or in. There is a lever that switches the left door or right door locks. The lever was pointed left when you came here, therefore your door was unlocked. That grinding sound was the gears turning, opening the other door and shutting the gate over yours."

Chris gave a nod and said simply, "Ooooh."

**R**

After Leon was finished buying and selling to the merchant, he thanked him and nodded goodbye to the helpful man.

"Ah, Stranger. Wait. I forgot to give you the prize you earned for shooting all the blue medallions."

Leon turned around and approached the merchant curiously. Sheila smiled. She was happy that the medallion game was still in this crazy twist of reality.

"As I promised, I got a special prize. This is a new prototype of a pistol I've been working on. ZombieKler bought one for his sister, so she can vouch for me on the quality of the weapon. It isn't the strongest yet, the one I'm giving ya, but when you upgrade it, you'll see that it was worth the price. It's called the Punisher! It's bullet can shoot through two enemies at once!," the merchant said proudly.

Leon nodded and tried not to smile. It sounded like he was trying to scam him into spending more money.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm happy with what I got."

The merchant didn't seem angry or surprised, he just smiled behind his scarf and replied, "Did I mention that this is a prize and on the house?"

Leon smiled despite of himself. This guy was persistent. Well, it didn't hurt to have an extra gun.

"Ooooo! Can I have it, Leon? You already got one and I would feel better if I could defend myself when you won't be able to do so," Sheila said with a light shining in her eyes. Although she preferred the Black-tail in the game, the Punisher wasn't a bad gun to have when you're actually weaponless.

"No! Absaloutly not!" Leon said in a stern voice.

"But Leon! I-"

"I said no! Do you even know how to use a gun?" Leon asked with intensity.

Sheila put her hands on her hips and replied, "My family is from Montana, where ya gotta learn how to shoot for food and protection from wild animals! I come from a long line of women and men who used a gun since they were-"

"I didn't ask about them, I asked about you."

Sheila pouted. No, her parents never took her hunting. She was the ONLY one in her family that never has hunted a animal before. Her parents just were too busy to take her. Now, their bodies were too out of whack to hunt anymore to go. Sometimes, it sucked to be the youngest child.

"I'll take your silence as a no. So no, you can't." Leon said with triumph.

"Oh come on, Stranger! It's dangerous out there and you know it. It's hard enough to take care of yourself against Saddler's men, but with two defenseless lasses, tsk, tsk. You better give them a quick lesson while you have the chance," the merchant said passionately.

Leon scowled and grabbed the Punisher from the merchant. He looked at the excited teen, and finally gave her the gun. He stood behind her and began giving her a quick Thoreau lesson about guns. Sheila listened carefully, holding the gun the proper way like Leon said.

After delivering his quick lesson that covered all the basics, Leon finished by saying, "And this little thingy right here is the safety. You flip it to turn off so you can fire the weapon. Make sure the safety is off when you are up against a enemy. And make sure you turn the safety back on when you put it in your waist band, you don't want to shoot yourself before we leave this place."

Sheila smiled and made sure the saftey was on and put the cold, hard, somewhat heavy gun in her waist band. Leon turned to Ashley and offered to show her the same thing.

"No way! I want nothing to do with guns! I'll probably shoot my foot off if I try." Ashley said with a vehement shaking of her head.

Leon nodded, and seemed somewhat relieved to hear that. He knew the President would have something to say about his daughter handling a gun. That's what he was there for.

"Alright lass! Your gun is full of ammo, so don't worry about loading it right now. Here, take these ammo clips. They're on the house for only you my dear," the merchant said with a smile.

Sheila smiled as Leon grumbled something about beautiful women getting stuff free all the time. As they left, they heard the trade mark saying, "Come back any time!"

**R**

"I'm pleased that you decided to contribute to the new Umbrella. I'll be looking forward to meeting you in person in a few weeks. By then, we'll have some new experiments started for you to see," Wesker said to the old, graying, wrinkled man on the screen.

The man wore an expensive suit which didn't flatter him that much. He was just one of those people who's body types were shaped like an ape with no neck. But Wesker didn't judge good business by looks, no, he judged by their loyalty, brains, and their wallets. This man was perfect for a contributor. He was easy to control and manipulate. Like a sheep, he would believe anything Wesker said as long as he felt he was an important part of the decision process. The cunning blond had this guy along with more greedy men eating out of the palm of his hand.

"I'll be looking forward to the visit of this new Umbrella base. This time, I sincerily hope that this corporation will not be run into the ground like the previous owners. Be looking forward to meeting you in person, Mr. Wesker," said the aging tycoon.

Wesker gave a small smile and nodded his head. He cut off the satellite feed and typed in the info to lock on to his next target. An image of Leon and the two girls slowly walking out of the stone building greeted his curious eyes. He frowned slightly, not pleased to see that Leon was still alive. He had hoped that the giant would have killed the troublesome agent, but like all immature experiments, the creature failed. He had to hand it to Leon yet again, he had superb survival skills and luck on his side. But that didn't change the possible damage this individual could cause. Especially if he reunites with the Redfield siblings.

He punched in another code, and soon a different image appeared on his screen. The house that his enemies and Luis were staying appeared on the multiple flat screen images. Moments ago, he saw a troop of villagers pass by without detecting the trio inside. Another case of luck perhaps. Although he was relieved to see that the former scientist was not discovered, he wouldn't have minded that the siblings would have had to fight for their lives again. That always brightened up his moods. Especially the mood he was in right now. Ada still has not made it to the house to retrieve the sample. If the Spaniard had the sample. He had began to wander if the Spaniard had lied when he made contact with him by the satellite phone hours ago. He wouldn't be surprised if he did lie...

What really made him displeased was that Luis was shacked up with the meddlesome Redfields at the moment. Would the coward spill his guts?... No, not yet. He doesn't trust too easily. But Ada will have to hurry up, Claire was just one of those trustful people that could get a tight clam to confess all its sins. She made everyone at ease. According to his files, that really helped her in her work.

He moved his skilled gloved fingers across the buttons and punched in more codes for the satellite. Ada appeared on his screens. It showed her fighting off more villagers, as usual. He was tempted to distract her with a call, just to see her fight harder, but did not in the end. He couldn't afford to lose his spy just because he wanted to sate his sick sense of humor. That would come later... With Chris.

**R**

Being back in the at night was admittedly spooky. While during the day, the visual aspect of place seemed more run down and a trip back in time, at night it represented the perfect picture of a ghost town. Despite the bad memory of what happened during the day light hours, Leon found himself preferring that then to the darkness that cloaked unseen enemies.

The rain was really coming down hard, making it hard to see what little his flashlight or the torches revealed. The girls were both unusually silent behind him, both keeping close to their guardian as he led them slowly to the house where he found Chris and Claire holed up earlier that day. Nothing seemed safe.

Leon opened the door and quickly stepped inside, the girls followed, eager to get out of the rain and the unknown. The scorch marks and bullet casings on the floor told the story of a intense battle, one that even Sheila was glad she wasn't apart of. The agent quickly motioned toward the sturdy, medal door. The girls looked at each other with nervousness. They already were tired of small rooms. Being stuck in that creepy church was enough. But their choices were limited, and Leon was the leader of this little rescue mission. So they quietly obeyed as Leon went back out into the storm.

His body was tense, ready to strike at anything that came near. As he neared the path to the farm, he heard a Ganado shout out the alarm, notifying where Leon was. He smiled and darted back to the tower, waiting for them to come. Soon, villagers appeared from the path as others jumped down from the two story house that he earlier found the shotgun in. A dirty old woman got to him first, her red eyes glowing in the eerie darkness. Her knee caps were the first to go to her dismay. Then a well earned kick sent falling flat on her back. Two more villagers appeared and tried to hack him to pieces, but failed as Leon blew out their eye sockets, blinding them.

He kicked them as the female villager stood back up unsteadily, and tried to stab him with her kitchen knife. He grabbed her wrist while two more villagers appeared behind her to help. The agent turned the female Ganado around and kicked her toward them while taking the knife from her grasp. The three Ganados fell, giving Leon the chance to flee from the tower. He made it inside the house safely where the girls were, and quickly shut the door. Noticing the small dresser, he quickly pushed it in front of the door and stepped back as the villagers began to try to hack the door to pieces. It wouldn't be long before they broke in.

Leon readied his gun and waited patiently for the villagers to cut a hole in the door.

_Come on, almost there.._

An axe blade cut through the wooden boards at last, revealing an angry villager with only one thing on the brain. Kill the intruder.

Leon smiled and said, "Hello," and fired at the man.

The bullet went through the man's skull, blood and brains gushing out the back of his wounded head. He cried out and stumbled backwards, covering his wound. But the remaining villagers ignored their fellow Ganado and continued to try to break in. Every time a villager came into view, Leon shot them from his man made peephole. He killed about three villagers this way.

The remaining five backed away, for once thinking on their next plan of action. Four turned and looked at the villager with the nasty head shot with calculaiting eyes. This gave Leon the oppertunity to reload.

_"So far, so good," _he thought to himself.

Leon waited patiently for the next attack. Nothing happened. Taking the chance of injury, he drew closer to the hole and took a peep. What he saw made no sense and was completely bizarre. The villagers were each stabbing one of their own in the head.

_"What the hell? Are they insane?... Okay, that was a stupid question," _Leon thought with unease.

The victim screamed one last time before his head exploded, revealing the disgusting, bubbly puss pocket parasite.

"Oh crap! So that's why they turned on the poor guy," Leon said with disgust.

He holstered his handgun and brought out his shotgun. He back away as the parasite rammed the door, breaking it into pieces. The tentacle whipped towards Leon as villagers piled inside, laughing with a new sense of confidence. Leon dodged and resumed shooting, blowing chunks of villagers all over the already stained floor. He killed three without their parasites emerging, but the other two appeared just as quickly as the other one did.

Leon cursed as he dodged the razor blades of the Los Plagas. He fired at there heads, but only succeeded to anger the creatures. Sheila heard the trouble Leon was having in the next room and decided to take a peek, worried for the real life agent. She nibbled on her lower lip as she watched Leon dodging and shooting at the parasites. The teen shivered. This was reeeaaaaaly bad.

She saw Leon finally land a killer shot at one Plagas, causing blood, puss, and gore to splatter as the parasite exploded. But the other two were far from being killed like their brethren. They finally cornered Leon, causing him to desperately fire at at any part of their body human hosts bodies. This slowed them down, but unfortunately did not kill them.

The sound of empty clicking was heard. Leon let out a loud curse as he realized that he was running on empty at the worst possible time. He tried to reload, but couldn't since the Plagas was trying to make him into chopped liver. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that the handsome agent was in dire trouble.

Despite what the game character had told her, Sheila knew that she would have to risk her life for the struggling agent. With dramatic flare, she opened the door and squeezed the trigger, blindly shooting at the Plagas. They all turned around as three of her five shots hit them in the back. Her pleased smiled vanished as the slimy creeps turned their deadly attention on herself.

She cried out as they were slowly coming toward her, "Leon! Use your flash grenade!"

The agent unclasped the flash grenade from his utility belt and through it at them, jumping outside to get of the blast range. Sheila closed the door just as the flash brightened up the room. The shrieking outside the door was like the finest symphony to her ears. She pictured their heads exploding from the flash. Once it was silent, she slowly opened the door, smiling at the greusome sight. The headless bodies were melting, leaving behind nothing as the goo evaporated.

_"Huh. Guess reality is mimicking the game. Cool and... very nasty. I wander if I'm going to need therapy after this?" _Sheila thought with a frown.

Leon walked in the door and looked at the sight in disbelief. It worked! He couldn't believe that the flash grenade actually worked. He looked at Sheila in wonderment.

"How did you know that would work?," Leon asked with awe.

She just shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Uuuh. I just told you to do that so the flash could distract them while you got out of the way. The whole dying part was a added bonus, I guess."

She didn't want to lie, so she told him only half of the story. By the look on his face, he believed her.

He checked around outside to see if anymore freaks would show up. None did. Satisfied, he called out, "The coast is clear. But keep a look out, you never know what these people will do next."

The girls followed their fearless leader as he began to lead them out of the village through the rain. As they walked up the path that would get them out of the main part of Pueblo, Ashley stumbled and bumped into Leon. The agent slipped in the slick mud and fall flat on his back. A bear-trap went off beside his head as he bumped barely brushed up against it. Eyes wide, he looked at the trap that nearly ended his life and took a deep breath.

_"That was a close one," _he thought with a shudder.

Ashley apologised for her clumsiness and helped him back up. He didn't look too pleased at almost dying because of the clumsiness of a 20 year old, but he kept any ill will to himself and patted her shoulder, telling her to not to worry about it.

With the death experience out of the way, he turned around and studied the wet earth. He could make out two more bear-traps half buried in the mud. Aiming his handgun carefully, he shot each one of them which tripped the deadly jaws of the carefully set traps. After searching the ground for more, he motioned for two to keep moving. As they neared the doors, he saw more traps in the mud. And among the bear trap was a lone villager, guarding door. The light from his torch revealed the escaping trio's presence. Curling his lips, the Ganado ran toward them with as much as ferocity as a lion would. Leon didn't seem worried about the local. He just stood there quietly and waited for the villager to be close enough to see the whites of his eyes before doing anything. Then he struck quickly as a viper.

Leon kicked the man in the mouth, causing him to stumble into one of his own traps. The beartrap clamped around the calf of his leg, tearing into flesh and bone. The man stood there screaming and cursing at Leon, holding on to the injured limb as he dropped his torch. With slow measured steps, the agent walked up to the villager and punched him across his jaw. The screaming man fell flat on his back, tripping another bear trap. The trap clamped around his head, crushing the human skull. The man began to gurgle and twitch, his body jerking around. After a last gasp of air, he died and melted away.

Leon turned around to check on the girls. Ashley covered her mouth like she was going to be sick, Sheila just looked at him with an open mouth. He felt a pang of guilt at what the two had to witness, neither ever having experience this kind of horror before. He knew this had to be traumatic for them, so he tried his best to console them.

But Sheila interupted him by saying, "That was the most coolest way of not wasting ammo! I call that a flawless victory!"

She quoted one of her favorite games, 'Mortal Kombat'. Ashley uncovered her mouth and looked at the teen with fear and disgust. Leon on the other hand, was completely speechless.

"What? Oh, come on! That was so cool! I mean, too bad for the guy and all, but still. Leon, you got some skills!," she said with a smile for her hero.

Leon started to smile in response. The girl was different, but in a cute way.

"Thanks. Let's get moving," he said with total professionalism.

Sheila grinned as Ashley quickly passed her with a worried look.

"Guess I'm the only one who appreciates a good fatality," she said with a smile.

**Authors Note: Wheeew! Finally I'm done with this chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry it took a little longer than I expected. But that's the way it goes sometimes! Review!**


	16. Chapter 15:Night of the Living DeaErr

**Authors Note: Thanks for aaaaaall the reviews! ME SO HAPPY! Okey dokey, this chapter will contain the usual. You know... Gore, blood, heads being blown off, the usual day of a Resident Evil character. Enjoy everyone!**

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 15: Oh no! The Night of the Living Dea-Err.. Ganados?**

"Can't wait for this rain to stop," Sheila said with chattering teeth.

They were standing before the large double doors that would lead them out of the creepy farm. Sheila never liked this place, even when she was playing the game safely in her room, she couldn't stand it. It was always was a little too creepy to her. Perhaps because it reminded her of a movie she once saw. Shaking herself from her annoying thoughts, she looked at Leon as he tried unsuccessfully to open the doors.

"D-mn! Locked," he said with frustration.

The rain didn't relent with its harsh ways, making the silver lining in their dark mood almost invisible. Leon looked at his young charges, and sighed. He hated to ask, but there was only one way to the extraction point.

"I need one of you to climb over the door and unlock the door for me," said Leon.

The girls looked at each other, and then back at Leon. His feelings on the subject clearly written on his expressive face. But he didn't know that there was nothing to worry about. Sheila new that it would be safe, that whoever climbed over the large barricade would not be hurt. But she was a little shy to volunteering. It would require using poor Leon as a step ladder. Then again, she didn't want the older girl to think she was weak in any way. That would only give the _Princess _ammunition against her in the future.

_Speaking of her Royal Blondness, why wasn't she volunteering? She was more then happy to do it in the game._

"Eeeeerm. I guess I can-" Sheila began to say, but was quickly cut off by Ashley.

"I'll do it. As long as it's safe," Ashley said with uncertainty.

Leon shrugged,"It's not any safer beyond the gate than it is here. Either way, we got to get out of here."

Ashley hesitated and looked at Sheila.

Gathering her courage, the red head spoke with confidence, "I'll do it... But if I break your spine, don't sue."

Leon chuckled, shaking his head. Feeling embarrassed and disliking the attention the weirdo was receiving, she decided to perform this small act..

"No. I said I would do it, so I will go through with it."

Sheila shrugged and smiled. Frankly, she just wanted to get out of the rain and get inside that house was coming up.

Ashley walked up to Leon as he knelt. She awkwardly climbed on top of him, then balanced herself as Leon stood up, holding her feet with a tight grip. He grunted as Ashley just stood on his shoulders for a few seconds. He gritted his teeth, patience running thin as the cold and rain weakened with each passing minute. When he decide to ask what the hold up was, she finally moved. Hoisting herself up on top of the wooden gate, she sat and looked down. The drop wasn't too bacd, but it was enough to give her pause. Biting her lip, Ashley finally dropped, disappearing on the other side. Three seconds later, Leon heard her voice telling him that the door was opened. He turned and smiled at Sheila, giving her a thumbs up before opening the large gate. With leaving behind some horrors behind and closer to their goal, their mood felt lighter. But only one of them knew that their long journey's end to safety would not be reached that night.

Up ahead, a torch appeared with a flickering blue flame.

They quickly ran to the Merchant, who seemed unaffected by the rain. His red eyes looked at the three soaked Americans with slight pity at the sopping sight they made. Leon, with his bandaged arm and his shirt torn where the Plagas sliced him, looked the worst. The other two at least were unharmed. The elements the only thing effecting their young bodies. Too bad he didn't have rain coats to sail.

"What are ya buying?," he asked the usual question.

Leon took out his gold pesetas and bought a first-aid spray and another tune up for his shotgun. After that, the merchant turned to Sheila and asked her if she wanted a tune up as well. She sighed, and sadly showed what little pesetas she collected in the house she and Ashley had hid during Leon's little Ganado battle. He smiled affectionately, (though yet again his face wear didn't reveal the kind expression) and told that she had enough for an upgrade for her gun, or some ammo and first aid kits. She chose the upgrade for her gun, of course. After a few quick adjustments, her gun was a bit more powerful and faster, giving her the extra edge for future shoot outs. She smiled and waved goodbye to the merchant as they started to cross the old bridge.

Leon stopped, his radio signaling him of a incoming call. He answered it with dread. If Hunningan was contacting him now while he was busy trying to escape with the girls, then something had to be wrong.

Hunnigan: _Leon, I got some bad news._

Leon: _Not now, Hunnigan. Now is not a good time._

Hunnigan: _Well, I'm afraid I have to tell you anyway. We've lost contact with the chopper. Someone must have shot it down, though we can't determine who._

Leon: _Great..._

Hunnigan: _We're preparing another chopper for you. Meanwhile, I want you to head towards the extraction point as planned._

Leon: _Got it._

Leon holstered his radio and gave the girls a reassuring smile. It didn't fool them. If one chopper couldn't make it through, then the chances of the other slipping under Saddler's radar was slim.

"Don't worry. We'll get out of here, I promise."

Leon's little promise was empty, and they all knew it. But the determination behind it did inspire some faith in the agent. One way or another, he would get them away from this nightmare.

They ran across the rest of the bridge with uneasiness. As they reached the other side, they heard shouting behind them. They turned and saw over thirty villagers with torches, standing just beyond the bridge. Ashley began to panic and looked at Leon with growing wide eyed fear.

"What are we going to do, Leon?," Ashley asked with wide eyes.

Leon grunted and looked at the girls before him, then back at the mob. "Looks like we're sand-witched, alright. Come on, we have to get in the house."

They followed Leon without question, Sheila the only one who knew what was to come. Both girls burst through the door, tripping over one another. Leon was busy looking for something to block the door when they heard from behind them, "Leon, catch."

Leon caught the board in mid air and used it as a temporary lock for the door. Sheila quickly shoved Ashley off of her, wiping off the dirt of her soaked clothes. She couldn't help but smile at the handsome Spaniard.

Luis noticed this and returned her smile while striding forward. "Glad to see me, friend?"

Leon grunted, still trying to decide if it was a good thing to have the questionable man in the same proximity. . He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped at the sight of two familiar faces. Claire and Chris were walking down the stairs with relieved looks on their faces.

"Claire! Chris!," he said with relief in his voice.

"Leon!," they both said in unison.

Sheila looked around and replied, "Spongebob!"

They all gave her a odd look. It was becoming a repeating occurrence every time she opened her mouth.

"What? Haven't you watched that episode- Ooof!," She didn't even get to finish because Claire and Chris were hugging the living daylights out of her.

"Sheila! You're safe and sound! We were so worried about you," Claire said while still hugging her. Chris didn't say anything as he held on to two of his girls.

"Uuuh. Could you let go. I... can't... breath," she said with difficulty.

They both released her with grins plastered on their faces. Leon smiled as he joined them, touched by the happy reunion. It was nice to see that everyone was still alive.

Luis tore his gaze from the scene, and smirked at the quiet Ashley Graham.

"And you must be the lovely President's daughter. Nice to see he equipped his daughter with ballistics too," he said in his usual flirtatious voice.

Ashley herumphed and crossed her arms, replying, "How rude! I don't belive that my figure has anything to do with my standing! Who are you?"

Luis backed off and bowed as he replied, "Excuse me, your highness. I didn't mean to offend. You should really introduce yourself before demanding name's of strangers."

She narrowed her eyes and responded with an offended tone, "The name's Ashley Graham. And you are?"

Luis nodded and said while turning and looking at the short red head, "Luis Sera... Who is this vision of beauty?"

The red head blushed at the charming smile sent her way.

Chris glared as Sheila bashfully smiled and replied, "My name's Sheila... Nice to see a charming man around these parts. So far, I've received a rude welcome from the locals."

Luis chuckled as he responded with a comment of his own, "The men around here do not know how to treat a classy lady such as yourself. Not with the treatment that you deserve. They all can't be like me. After all, I am on of a kind."

Sheila laughed and gave him her cutest smile. Leon looked a little peeved like Chris and decided that it was time to get down to business.

"Alright. Enough with the flirting. We got a bunch of Villagers heading this way. Let's get prepared for their onslaught."

Luis grew serious and started to help the guys with moving the shelves in front of the windows. He looked at Leon while pushing one of the shelves. "The girls. They're not like.. well, you know. One of them?"

Leon shook his head and confidently replied, "No. They're cool."

Just then, they heard shouting and banging on the door and the windows. Looks like the mob was ready to rumble.

Chris grimly ordered, "Ashley, Sheila, go upstairs and hide. We'll take care of this."

The girls didn't have to be told twice, both speeding up the stairs. Sheila looked around for a hiding spot. To her annoyance, there was nothing but the wooden Armoir thingy. And Ashley was already getting in it... Juuuust great. She ran over and joined her while closing the doors. Taking out her gun, she sat silently in the dark, next to the trembling Ashley.

"This is my hiding spot! Find your own!," Ashley said with irritation.

Sheila pinched the girl's arm and said with a calm voice, "There ain't another place for me to hide. Besides, I think it's a stupid of you to order around the gal who has the gun!"

Ashley let out a angry sigh and said no more.

Meanwhile downstairs...

"Okay. Game time," said Luis with his red-nine ready.

The wracket grew worse as the shelves shook from the vibrations of the numerous pounding fists. Luis was in the same position as he starts off in the game, and Leon was pointing at the bookshelf at the other side of the room with his shotgun. Chris had turned over the table and pushed it against the bookshelf that was next to the metal door, waiting with his Riot gun ready and aimed at that window. Claire was on the bottom of the stairs, guarding it from anything that would try to get up there. Her Uzis ready for some action.

The shelf across from the stairs was breached first. Luis aimed while Chris got down on his knees to avoid being shot, his gun aimed in the same direction. They both opened fire as villagers tried to pour through. As they fired, the bookshelf with the table was breached too, directing fire from Luis while Chris took care of the other windows. The remaining obstacle was breached, leaving Leon busily firing away.

The gunshots were deafening as everyone fired. Claire was just as busy as the others, taking care of any Ganado who would slip inside and tried to grab the guys. Everything seemed to go well for the team, until they heard the upstairs windows break. Luis looked up at the ceiling.

"Head upstairs! They're trying to come through the windows!," Luis alerted the others.

With much toil, they all trampled upstairs. Already, the villagers were climbing up the ladders poking through the windows. Claire began pushing the ladders down as the three men tried to shoot the mob that was rushing up the stairs. Soon, despite of their efforts, the room was full of Ganados. Claire tried to keep up with the ladders, but there was so many of those cursed villagers playing backup with the ladders. She growled as she finally threw a grenade down to greet them. Cries were heard as the explosion took a chunk of the villagers out. But sadly, it only made a tiny dent in the mob down below.

"Sh-t!," cried out Luis as a villager hoisted him in the air, chocking him.

Chris snapped the man's neck quickly, patting Luis on the back.

"Thanks Chris," he offered gratefully while shooting more of the villagers.

Chris smiled and continued to fire away. Blood covered the four as they shot villager after villager. Soon, heads burst, revealing the parasites. Tentacle wailed around, slicing up the four as they tried eliminating the monsters.

All together, there was four of the nusiences. Claire cried out as a pick axe sliced up her calf from a dying villager on the floor. Leon looked angry at this as he dodged a parasite's tentacle. Another villager grabbed Chris from behind, holding him for the parasites to kill.

"Enough of this!," Leon cried out as he yanked the pin from a flash grenade's.

He threw it on the floor and stepped back as the flash went off. Screams from the parasites and the villagers could be heard above all the commotion. Slime and gore sprayed everywhere as the lifeless bodies that the Plagas had emerged from fell to the ground. All the villagers covered their eyes and groaned in pain.

Chris and the others took this opportunity to shoot, kick, you name it, they did it. They killed with a new sense of fury. Luis passed out ammo when one would have to reload as everyone stood back to back. Together, they were like a well oiled machine of destruction. They blew holes in stomachs and heads as they slowly gained the advantage against the hoard.

Luis joked with Leon as he killed a parasite, "I thought I said you could envite only fifty people!"

Leon smirked and fired at a villager who ran toward him with a pick axe raised.

"Yeah, well, I thought you could use the excitement."

A six inch hole appeared where Leon's shotgun obliterated the Ganado's stomach area. The villager looked down and had a comical look on his face as he fell down into a puddle of goo and evaporated. D-mn satisfying!

Claire delivered a karate kick to a villager who just climbed into the window. He fell out the window with a scream, falling on five villagers. She smirked and dropped a fire grenade down on the idiots. They screamed as they ran around in circles, setting a few of their buddies on fire. She then turned her attention to a parasite that was heading toward the men. The guys were in a tight circle with their backs up against each other. She ran up behind the creature, dodging the tentacle and hacked away at the base of the slimy, deadly appendage. It screamed as she succeeded, putting it's human hands where the tentacle was once was. With a smile, she stabbed it in its puss filled head until it exploded all over her face.

"Eeeeew!," she whined with disgust.

Angry with the utter yuckiness that covered her pretty face, she turned around and shot all the villagers that came upstairs. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the Ganados retreated and ran back down the stairs, leaving the same way they came in from. Luis and Claire hurried down the stairs and looked out the window. Both smiled as they watched the remaining mob walk back down the bridge. They won the first battle.

"They're leaving," Luis whooped loudly.

Leon nodded when hearing the confirmation, and went downstairs to join the Spaniard to check out the damage. To his disgruntlement, he saw Luis kneeling before Claire, who was sitting on a chair while he began to clean the nasty wound. Frowning, the agent joined them, inspecting the five inch cut. It looked deep. Blood was seeping steadily from the wound. The lovely Redfield gave him her thumbs up while her worried brother joined them, applying first-aid on the wound. She hissed as the spray began to sizzle. Leon took out his green/red/yellow herb mix and gave it to Chris.

"This should work quickly," Leon said with concern over the woman he deeply cared about.

Chris thanked him and smothered it all in and over the wound. Luis let the two fuss over the brave young woman, stepping back to watch with sadness as Claire held back her painful cries.

The girls stepped out of the closet and made their way over to the scene. Sheila almost cried over seeing her favorite Resident Evil character in such pain. Ashley looked away from the sight, she couldn't look at the wound without getting nauscious. Chris stitched her up finally and wrapped the wound.

Claire frowned and said, "Another scar to add to my collection."

Luis gave her an encouraging look and said, "Don't worry, bright eyes. That yellow herb takes care of nasty wounds like that. No scar will mar your beautiful skin."

Claire gave him a gorgeous smile while Leon looked a bit miffed and jealous at the Spaniard. Sheila noticed this and hid her smile. She thought Leon had the hots for Ada... She was happy to be proved wrong! Though, she couldn't help but give a little jealous sigh. Dang heroes and their love triangles!

Claire stood up and took a tentative step on her leg, and as predicted, she felt no pain.

"Hey! Your right! This stuff is good," she said while giving Luis a bright smile.

Leon looked even more miffed. He gave Luis the eeeeevil eye. Luis caught the look, and smiled.

_"So you're the one the hot, young, thing here pines for... Lucky Basta-d." _Luis thought with a sigh and a grin.

But, unfortunately, he still had a job to do. Another beauty was waiting for him some where, waiting to collect the sample in exchange for his freedom from this hell hole.

Hoping to see these people again some day, he waved as he reluctantly said, "Catch you later. I got some unfinished business to take care of."

Then he left, back outside to the now lightly drizzling rain.

"Luis," he heard Leon call out to him.

Luis began walking away when he saw the woman in red appear out of the darkness.

"Hey there. Miss me," he asked, hoping to get a smile or something from the serious woman in front of him.

"Where's the sample," Ada cut to the chase. He frowned and opened up his arms as he walked toward her.

"Where's the love, baby," he asked with a mock hurtful expression.

She didn't show any emotion, as usual. Instead, she just crossed her arms and gave him a expression that said. 'I'm waiting.' He sighed and slowly passed her.

"I dropped it. But don't worry, I'm on my way to retrieve it," he lied as he passed her. He still didn't trust her. He wasn't sure if he should give the sample, considering from the murkiness of her background. He probably would later, after he finds the medication to help Leon and the two girls. But he was curious about this mysterious woman in red. Ever since the sexy vixen had appeared one day, telling him that she received his email that was meant for John, his old college roommate, and that he was unfortunately deceased, and then who she was, his curious nature has been peaked.

"Who do you work for, really? And why do you want it so badly," he asked while turning his head.

Ada smiled and said with complete truthfulness, "It's better you don't know. For your own safety."

He smirked and nodded his head. He got the message loud and clear.

"Whatever. I guess I don't care about it one way or the other. Just as long you to stop the old man and his minions. Catch you later," he replied as he left her standing there.

She sighed as he left. He was probably lying about the sample. But she understood. She knew he would give it to her eventually, after he found something to help Leon and the girls. She could be patient.

Back to our favorite gang...

Leon looked at his friends and shrugged. Luis and his behaviour was a mystery.

Sheila was too busy staring at the siblings to think about the absent Spaniard. She couldn't believe they were here for her!

Chris noticed the look on her face and ruffled her hair and said teasingly, "What? You got hit over the head two many times or something?"

She grinned and pushed his hand away.

"Nah. Just glad to see y'all. Reeeaaaaally glad," she said with a happy sigh.

Claire smiled and gave her another hug.

"How can we stand back when our favorite red head is gone?," she said with affection.

Leon smiled at the sight, the warmth coming from the trio could rival the fire from the fire place. But, their situation hasn't change. They still had a bunch of crazy villagers with strange things inside trying to divide and conquer them.

"Hate to brake up the happy reunion, but we shoud really get going," Leon sighed.

The Redfields and their fan separated and gave each other a grin. Claire tore her eyes away from Sheila and gave Leon a sweet smile.

"It's really great to see that you're still alive Leon," she said with an affectionate tone. Leon smiled and gave her the same look. Chris rolled his eyes and opened the door.

"Looks like it stopped raining. Let's get going," he said with a hard look at Leon.

Leon straightened up and nodded as they left the house. And surprise, surprise, the mysterious figure standing by the old, tiny shack was their favorite local. They walked over to the merchant, who's torches burned as bright and blue as ever.

"Welcome strangers. Glad to see you all together now. What are ya buying?," he asked while openeing his back pack and coat.

The usual buying more ammo and bartering occurred, selling their trinkets to gain more space in their cases. When done, they said their goodbyes and walked over to the lever.

"Hm. Maybe we should push it to the left," Leon said thoughtfully.

Chris and Claire gave each other a look and stopped Leon from doing so.

"Um, we came from that route. Not a good memory, trust me on this. Let's just go down the other way. It's already opened," Chris quickly said.

Leon saw the look in their faces and conceded, leaving the lever well enough alone. They walked down the right passage and opened the door to another nightmarish route. But you readers have to wait till the next chapter to find out! Buah!HA! Hahahahhahahhahahhahaaaaaaa!

**R**

Wesker frowned at the reunion between his enemies. Their string of luck was becoming more and more of a thorn in his side. He rubbed his temples, willing the headache to leave. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't all that surprised they survived the onslaught of those idiot villagers. Even Senior Sera hadn't fled the coming battle, opting to stay and help Wesker's enemies. And that wasn't good. Soon, the ex-cop would be suspicious of the Spaniard, if he wasn't already. Hopefully, if Luis knew what was good for him, he would stay away from the group and do as he was told. If he didn't...

His attention went back to the screen. They were taking the second route. Wesker smiled slightly; he knew what was waiting there. But of course they would survive. After all, if Leon could kill one giant single handily, then the three of them together could kill this one with no problem. But he would enjoy seeing them fight for their lives.

"Let the show continue," Wesker said as he relaxed and watched the meeting between the giant and the heroes.

**Authors Note: Buah!Hahahahhahahahaaaaa! Yes, another evil chapter! Heheheheee! Make sure to review after reading! Next chapter will be a cool battle between the power team and the stupid El Gigante! Muah!Hahahahhahaaaaaa!**


	17. Chapter 16:Another El Gigante? Cripes!

**Authors Note: Hey peeeebles! I recieved my first crappy review! Yaaahooooo! Ya'll probably wandering why I'm so happy about it, well...I don't really give a care what a crappy review says! I want to give special thanks to Keith B. Real. You (sniffle) really inspired me with your soooo serious bad review that, (sniffle) I'm going to keep writing FOREVER! Yaaaaaay! Tehe! I know my story isn't the best, but I'm learning more and more every time I write a new chapter! Stop taking fan fics so seriously, man! It's about having fun with your imagination! Besides, I'm not writing a novel so chill out. Okey Dokey, I also like to thank all the others who review this story and put me on their favorite list! Wow! I can't wait to hear your opinion on this chapter! Thanks for your support! Keep reading!**

**Resident Evil 4:A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 16: Another El Gigante? Cripes! **

Claire looked around the one way path. It really seemed like another trap to her, but what else could they do? She looked at Sheila, who was clinging to her arm like a leech. The teen seemed to be just as nervous as her.

"Hey, you okay," Claire asked with concern.

Sheila looked at her with a nervous glance, then turned her head away and replied, "Uhhh. Yeah. It's just... I got this strange, creepy feeling that we're being watched. Like maybe a monster is going to jump out and try to kill us or something."

Claire smiled and gave her younger friend a side hug as they walked down the path. The hug helped a little, but it didn't solve the giant obstacle that would soon make his nasty appearance. The thought had the gamer look at their surroundings. The path had rocky walls on both sides, preventing any escape. It was a strategic place for ambushes, leaving the only way out was to go forward, or back where you came. And since they couldn't go back thanks to Saddler and his minions, the group followed the path as the amateur architect of this death trap wanted.

Upon seeing her game idol give her a worried look, Sheila let go of Claire's arm and gave her a thumbs up.

"I'm alright, now. After all, I got my trusty handgun," Sheila said while taking out her weapon.

Claire looked nervously at her, not entirely sure that her short, young, friend should be toting around a firearm. But, she did recognize the small handgun. Punishers are easier to handle and lighter weight than the average handgun. Still...

As they neared the wooden, chained up door, Sheila looked behind her, paling. She knew who was going to make his ugly appearance. She looked at the guys behind her and the other two girls. They were whispering to each other, making her a little bit annoyed.

_"If they keep that up, they'll be squashed in no time," s_he thought with annoyance. And just as she feared, the Giant jumped down in front of the entrance that they had emerged from.

Everyone whipped around and looked with growing horror at the roaring giant. Leon briefly noticed that this giant looked a little different than the other one. He had a sharp, hawk nose and a narrower jaw. His skin was slightly tanned brown, like he has been sunbathing all day. Still, not much of an improvement then the last one he faced.

Sheila looked up at the boulder that was in the same place as the game and pointed while yelling, "Guys! There's a boulder up there!"

The guys looked where she pointed, spotting the large round boulder balancing against a thick two-by-four.

Leon shouted as the giant started to walk their way, "Claire! Get the girls out of here!"

Claire didn't argue as she pulled the girls toward the door. She brought out her Uzis and quickly blasted the metal chains.

Sheila heard gun fire and cursing behind her as the giant was getting closer and closer. The ground beneath their feet quivered, adding to the seriousness of their situation. Claire kicked down the door and ordered them to go. The frightened teen caught a glimpse of Leon shooting the board that was holding up the boulder. It came crashing down on the giant, crushing him to the ground. Sheila ran, not bothering to see if the giant was dead. She knew he wasn't, the stupid giant!

Claire ran up to the guys, who were staring at the rubble.

"Is it dead," Claire asked.

Leon looked at her and responded, "I thought I told you to get the girls out of here?"

She narrowed her eyes and was about to respond when the Giant burst through the rubble with a deafening roar.

Chris cursed as he began to move back. "Ruuuuuun!"

The trio ran through the open door. They could hear the giant busting through the wooden obstruction not too soon after they passed it.

Chris yelled as they weaved through the two small cabins, "How do we kill this thing?"

Leon stopped running when they were close to the open door. (Sheila had shot the chains off.) He took out his TMP and aimed it at the giant as it destroyed the two cabins.

"Shoot until the freakish bug/parasite pops through it's back. When that happens, we shoot and slice at the d-mn thing," Leon answered, grinding his teeth as he unleashed the furry of his TMP. All three resumed shooting at the giant, angering the ugly thing.

Just as it got within five feet, it screamed as tentacles and that caterpillar like parasite reared it's ugly body out of the hump of the El Gigante.

"Now," Leon ordered as he charged up and got on it's back.

But this time, the parasite shrunk back in it's hide-y hole, allowing the Giant to reach around it's back and grabbing the shocked agent. The Redfields shot frantically at the giant, trying to save poor Leon. El Gigante roared out in annoyance and threw Leon down in order to pursue the siblings. Looking around, head spinning and dizzy, he could actually feel his every single muscle and bone screaming their protests at the mistreatment they just endured. He watched the giant tear apart the wooden wall, chasing after the ones who saved his neck. He could see the two girls at the end, looking very frightened.

Leon forced himself up and began to jog over to the giant. Meanwhile, Claire and Chris were shooting at the creature's face, hoping to blind it or to keep it at bay till it's parasite would come back. The giant put his hands in front of it's face, crying out as the parasite burst through it's skin once again. Just as it kneel down on one knee, they saw Leon on top of the giant's back, his TMP aimed at the parasite's head. Leon let out a yell as he fired at close range into the freak's head. It screamed as it began to squirm and try to bite the one causing it bodily injury. Just as it started to do this, the giant came around and began to move. Leon jumped off and ran toward Chris and Claire.

Chris looked at Leon and said, "The only way we are going to survive is to split up and confuse it!"

Leon nodded in agreement, already trying to think up of ways to distract the large snarling foe.

Claire said, "You two go on the other side. I'll distract him!"

The giant began to move towards them. Chris looked at Leon and ran toward the giant, shooting as he ran as quickly as he could in between the giants legs. The giant roared as it missed it's prey. It turned around but was soon assaulted by more bullets in the back. As it turned back around, Leon passed it with ease and joined Chris.

Claire fired at the ugly, drooling face of El Gigante till her guns ran out of ammo. Not fun when a giant creep when a giant creep wants to smash you into mushy human jelly.

She didn't have much to worry about thanks to Leon fired who unloaded his TMP in the creeps hide, distracting the abnormal freak. The giant let out a confused roar as it turned toward the two men. The confusion grew for the creature as Claire and the two men played the gun fire version of tag. El Gigante was too stupid to do much about it. The fruit of their labor manifested itself as the parasite yet again emerged. This time, Chris and Leon crawled on top of the giant's back together. Both capable men had their blades on hand and began hacking away at the slimy parasite's body. Yellow gore sprayed across their chests as they sliced through organs and muscle tissue. The giant quickly came around as the parasite hid back in the safety of flesh, shuddering as it slowly stood back up. Chris and Leon jumped off an d began shooting once again. But their weapons quickly were running on empty, making them vulnerable to danger.

The giant looked at them with evil glee and raised it's fist to smash them, but Claire had started to shoot where the parasite keeps emerging, causing the giant to scream in pain. It turned around and charged after the current pest of its existence. She rolled out of the way just as it brought it's fist down where she had been standing. Quickly, she was back and dodging it's fists and feet. Leon and Chris finished reloading and saw the danger Claire put herself in, so together they desperately tried to get it's wrath turned back on them, but the giant payed no heed.

Claire finally ran in between it's legs, joining the other two. The giant didn't follow suit, instead it's attention turned to the two girls in front of the door. Sheila aimed her gun and began to shoot at the drooling giant. But the bullets might as well have been pillows, for they did not stop the big oaf from his path. Ashley screamed as it loomed over them, watching with tear filled eyes as the monster raised both fists high in the air. Then, a loud boom was heard. The giant screamed and turned around, a chunk of flesh was missing from it's hump. Blood poured out of the wound, the stench of the red and brown blood made Sheila want to throw up. She peeked between it's legs and saw Claire with her bow-gun. Sheila smiled, recognizing it from Code Veronica.

The giant took two wobbly steps toward the trio, but collapsed on it's right knee, doubling over to reveal the not so lively tentacles and parasite.

Chris was running toward it with his Riot gun in hand. He had taken it out as his sister blew up a chunk out of it. Nimbly, he jumped up on it's knee and quickly climbed up it's back. The parasite was nearly limp, barely moving as death swept quickly to claim it. He aimed and fired at it's midsection. The upper portion of it's body flew off and fell to the ground in a puddle of yellow and brown blood. It screamed and twitched around madly, trying to get up. Chris grinned as he jumped off the giant's back. El Gigante screamed and stumbled around, trying to touch the wounded area. As blood gushed out of the giant's mouth, it's eyes rolled into the back of his head. He let out one last gasp for air, then tumbled down. Chris quickly leaped out of the way as it plopped on the ground. The ground shook from the impact.

The survivors all let out a shout of tryumph, but soon looked away with disgust as the large body began to melt away. The stench of the process was almost unberrible. They all covered their noses till the giant had completely evaperated away, leaving behind steam and a lingering smell.

"Hm. That didn't happen last time I killed one," Leon commented.

Chris grinned and said, "Kinda figured you killed one when you didn't even blink when the freak made its dramatic entrance. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

Leon smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Um, guys? The door is locked so... go find the key," Sheila said while giving them an impatient look.

The two guys mumbled and went back to check the rubble of what once was the two cabins. Claire looked at the girls with concern and asked if they were alright.

"ALRIGHT! NO! I am NOT alright! I've been kidnapped, shared a room with this psycho over here, chased by villagers who have freaky bugs in them, and then, I almost get squished by a giant! I-" Ashley was interrupted by Claire who put her arms around her.

"Hey! It's okay. I was just making sure you wasn't hurt hon. Just hang in there," Claire said as she soothed the trembling young woman.

Ashley hugged her back and let Claire comfort her. Sheila rolled her eyes. She wondered why in the game Ashley didn't act like this when it was just her and Leon! But then she shrugged, deciding that it didn't matter. Might as well get used to the slightly older girl's theatrics since there was going to be more monsters to face. Deciding to be more useful and help the search, the teen began looking around. She found a green herb and some handgun ammo for her gun. Although she really didn't need it yet. Still had those clips of ammo the merchant so kindly gave her. She then checked her gun and found it empty. It didn't take long to reload. Smiling, she promised herself that she was definitely going to use it a lot more from now on.

Leon and Chris came back with the key. Giving Ashley a concerned look, he asked Claire if she was going to be alright.

Claire smiled and answered, "Yeah. She just needed to let out all those bottled up feelings."

Ashley smiled and stepped away. She gave everybody her sweetest look. Well, except for Sheila. As they left, she gave the teen a mean look, like that everything that has happened to her was all her fault. Sheila grinned and made a slicing motion across her throat. Ashley paled and hurried after the others. With a evil gleam in her eye, she followed the others while humming the popular American band Blondie's song, 'One Way Or Another'.

**R**

Wesker smirked at the group on the screen. They really were getting a little cocky. But would their admirable spirits stay strong with the things that awaited them up ahead? That question could only be answered by waiting patiently for the events to pass.

Turning to other matters. he quickly punched in the code to get a hold of Ada. The exotic spy answered the device and looked at the small screen in her little gadget.

"Hello, Ada. I see that Luis hasn't given you the sample," Wesker stated with a bored look.

He saw her sigh and smile. Oh, how he loved their little game. Both always never allowing their emotions to show.

"He said he dropped it," she responded with that half smile of hers.

Wesker cocked his head and asked, "And you believed him?"

He thought for sure she could tell a lie from the truth.

She gave a little laugh and replied to his question, "Of course not. He doesn't trust me... yet. But I know he will not betray me. He's concerned over himself only, and knows that we're the only hope he has of getting away form here safely. Our frightened little scientist wants out."

Wesker nodded his head in agreement. From what he could tell, the Spaniard was a bit of a coward. He would do anything to stop Saddler, and to get away from the crazy old man. But at times of crisis, you never know how much courage you have till you are tested.

"Make sure that he doesn't come in contact with Leon and the others again. We can't have him teaming up with the nosey bunch. It'll ruin my plans if he does," Wesker told the woman in red.

She smiled and said before hanging up, "When have I ever let you down, boss? I can handle Luis. I'm heading for the castle now as we speak. Chow."

With that, the screen went black. Wesker smirked and got out of his chair. He rolled his sore neck and stretched, muscles slightly feeling the slight twinge of hours in his chair. His thoughts were on the mission and everything that was riding on it. He knew Ada had a handle on the situation. He just wondered if she knew he had a handle on her. After all, you always have a backup plan when you're dealing with a spy from Raccoon City.

Wesker left his dark office and walked over to the elevator. It was time to check up on his employees. A little surprise inspection to keep them on their toes. The elevator took him to the top floor, where all the most valuable research is going on. He passed several labs, which of coursed the employees saw him pass by. They all straightened up, knowing that their boss was ticky on certain things. He couldn't stand laziness.

Finally, he reached some double doors that said "Veronica G-virus". He entered the lab with an air of authority. The scientists all lined up nervously, afraid what he may disapprove of their research. Last time he discovered a flaw in a certain unnamed employee, that poor soul disappeared. Later a new specimen mysteriously appeared in a special capsule marked simply T. Nobody dared question who the specimen was.

"How's my boy doing," Wesker asked the head scientist of the department.

The man was in his late twenties, skinny, and had light brown hair that was to his shoulders. He was a cute fellow, a genius that Wesker himself recruited. Wesker put him on top of all special projects, including the Veronica-T and G virus. So far, his decision to promote the promising scientist has proved a smart decision.

The scientist looked at Wesker with ease and answered, "Excellent. The body has completely excepted the G and Veronica-T virus. It has melded the two together perfectly, creating a stable virus that won't turn him into a zombie or mindless monster. We inserted the chip in his brain and came up with some interesting results."

Wesker smiled and followed the scientist over to the capsule S that held the special project. The scientist continued.

"After all those years of being frozen, being put on ice has caused the Veronica virus to slow down, just as Alexia's diary predicted. Now, since this young man was half dead, his brain lost a lot of oxygen when-"

The scientist stopped as Wesker interrupted impatiently, "I already know the history of the patient. I was the one who brought him in. What I want to know is if he's usable to me."

The scientist grinned and answered proudly, "Yes, he is. That chip and the G-virus has done a lot of repair to the damage of his body. His body has been reanimated completely, and of course his brain as well. They're in perfect working order. He can think rationally, has mobility of his limbs, and has perfect cunning. His Vocal chords are rusty though, but he can communicate with simple words when he's in the mood. Now, the way we control him is through the chip. You can give him orders from our satellite from anywhere in the world. You basically will have no worries concerning the subject, that chip will keep him on a short leash... Well, in theory."

Wesker placed his gloved hand on the cold tube, giving a small smile.

"Perfect. So, he's ready for a test run," Wesker stated.

The man nodded and put his hands behind his back like a little kid waiting for his reward for doing as he was told. Wesker took his hand off the tube and took off his glasses, revealing the red and yellow lizard like color of his inhuman eyes.

He spoke while staring at the man in the capsule, "Good work, Heath Cliff. I knew you would pull through for me... I want him prepped for a long helicopter ride by tomorrow. Get his weapons and his clothes ready. He's going to Spain to meet up with an old friend with me."

As he gazed at the naked man in the tube, the young man's eyes opened, revealing an unnatural orange color. His red hair was long, way past his shoulders, and he was starting to grow a beard. His pale skin had a slight green color tone, his body more mature than all those years ago when he was a teen.

Wesker smiled and said one last thing before he left, "And one more thing. Make sure he gets a haircut and a shave before we leave. I'm sure Claire will want to see Steve looking his best."

**Authors Note: Heheheheheeee! I hope y'all won't mind that bit about Steve! I always wanted closurr on poor Steve. The way that Code Veronica X ended had me wondering... If Steve was resuscitated, then Wesker could use him more than just his body for the virus. Maybe he's alive? Just think it of this way, more twists! I warned ya there would be plot twists in the story! Please review! **


	18. Chapter 17:Leon VS Big Cheeze!

**Authors Note: Heeeeeey! Thanks for all the cool people out there for your reviews! Keeps me going with my twisty story! Okay, this chapter will contain gore, violence and all the cool stuff included in boss fights! May the best man, errrr, creature or whatever win! Enjoy, you Res fans!**

**Resident Evil 4:A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 17: Leon VS The Big Cheese! **

"Have I already said that these people have serious issues?," Sheila asked while Claire rubbed some crushed green herb on her scratched arm.

Her arm stung like crazy from that stupid pick axe thrown at her and Claire on the sky lifts. She was still seething over how stupid these villagers are! Why try to kill someone Saddler ordered to be kept alive? I mean, come on!

"All done. Your good as new," Claire said with a pat on Sheila's head.

Sheila looked at her upper arm and saw that the green herb had already healed her long, torn cut that marred her pale skin. A new patch of pink skin had grown over the wound, the itching increasing as the wound continued to heal. Satisfied, she looked up at Claire as she got up from the ground and smiled.

"Wow! I just got to get me some of those herbs for home. Mom would go crazy over these super duper herbs! Why do they work so fast," she asked curiously.

Claire chuckled and replied, "I'm not sure exactly. There is still extensive study on the green herbs and its different colored relatives, at the moment. From what we know so far, is that the properties in the herb is-"

Chris interrupted with a impatient growl, "Girls! Please, can we discuss this another time? We have to get going now."

Both of the young women gave Chris a evil the look. Like any smart guy, he instantly shut up and laughed nervously, stepping back with his hands held up in a gesture to calm them down.

Claire snorted and grabbed Sheila's hand while saying, "We do need to get going. Come on Sheila, we'll discuss this topic later. Some people just can't comprehend important matters. Their brains fry from trying to."

Both girl walked past Chris with evil looks, making him roll his eyes and say, "I resent that comment."

Together, they all walked down the stairs in single file, leaving the sky lift and its complications behind. Claire looked nervously at the opening in the rock face, a memory resurfacing. That was the eerie place where she was taken when kidnapped. Looking away, she took a deep breath and followed more closely behind Leon as he lead them down the rest of the stairs. Pleasantly, agent Kennedy smiled as they neared the merchant and his blue torch.

Before he could open his mouth, Sheila rushed up front and pushed him to the side and said with exuberance, "Hi, Mr. Merchant! How's it hanging?"

The merchant blinked in shock at the girl's enthusiasm to see him. That quickly passed as he smiled and answered, "Oh. Everything is fine, little lass. It's always nice to see a fresh, young face around here! Now, what are ya buying, my dear?

Sheila cocked her head and put her finger on her chin, deep in thought. Leon cleared his throat and began to tell the merchant what he wanted, but was shushed by the strange man.

"Shhhhhh, stranger! Ladies first," he said while giving Leon a chastising look.

Leon couldn't believe this! He looked at the short girl and waited a bit impatiently for her to say something.

Ignoring the look, she finally asked, "Do you got a first aid available, aaaaaand... some more upgrades for my gun?," she asked with a bright smile. The merchant chuckled and opened up his coat with a dramatic gesture.

"Of course, miss! Here's your can of first aid spray. And as for your gun, only a upgrade for faster firing speed and a bigger capacity to carry more rounds. Do you still want the upgrade?," he asked with a chuckle.

Sheila nodded her head and gave him her gun. After quickly changing out parts, the merchant named his price. Without a word of complaint, she paid happily and allowed Leon his turn. The merchant gave him what he wanted and served the others the with the same detailed service. After their business was done, they left the cheerful merchant who was eagerly counting his pesetas.

Sheila questioned the group as they strolled leisurely toward the door, "How does he get to location to location so fast?"

They all looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"Huh. Good question. I've been wondering the same thing," replied Leon. He opened the door and held it open while the others went inside.

The whole area was dark and spooky. A cold wind blew in the air, causing a fresh set of chills and goosebumps for the group of survivors. Leon, always one to some how appear unaffected of the elements, gave them the silent sign and proceeded down the path with his handgun in hand. They were silent as they made their way down to the old, big shack.

The building was simple, made from the standard wood and tin materials. During the day light, it would appear as old and nothing special. But in the darkness with only a torch here and there combined with the light of Leon's belt flash light, it became sinister and entirely unwholesome.

Standing in front of the building, Leon put his hand on the handle of one metal door, but didn't open it. He looked over at Sheila and Ashley, his expression grim.

"Somethings not right. Hurry, go hide," he ordered.

The girls ran over to the small, open, wood shack leaning against the building, next to the doors. They quickly crawled in and peered over the log pile. They watched with troubled expressions at Leon, who was looking at the Redfields with a grim expression.

"Guys, I need you to stay out here with the girls," he said to the shocked siblings.

Chris put his hand on Leon's shoulder and argued with a gentle tone, "Leon, we can't do that. This place just screams trap! We need to-"

Leon interrupted with a cool voice, "And that is exactly why I need to go in alone. If something happens to me, you guys need to get the girls out of here safely. It won't do any good for the girls to be out here all alone. You know that."

Chris sighed and gave Leon a sad look.

"You sure you won't take at least one of us to go with you," Chris asked with a heavy heart, knowing that his friend wasn't going to be swayed form his chosen course.

Leon gave him a small smile and replied, "Naaah. I'll be fine. Besides, you two work great together as a team. The two of you protecting the girls will be more than a match for these villagers."

Chris released Leon's shoulder and stepped over to the woodpile, guarding the precious cargo. Claire gave Leon an angry look, her opinion of the subject coming across loud and clear. Leon looked down at his shoes, unable to meet her angry eyes any longer

"Claire, I-"

"Don't Claire me! What is with your lone wolf act? You separated us in Raccoon City and now you're-"

Leon's head shot up.

"Hey! It's not my fault that-," Leon began with a angry tone before Chris interrupted.

"Hey, you two! Knock it off! Claire, you know what he said is true. We have to protect the girls by staying out here. Just let Leon look for the key inside so we can get on our way," Chris said with a heavy sigh.

Claire looked back at Leon, still looking as if she wanted to argue. But then her shoulders sagged as she resigned from delaying him any longer.

"Just please try to be careful. No getting yourself killed in some hero-ey way. Okay?"

Leon smirked and said while flicking a strand of auborn hair out of her eyes, "Hey. Don't worry, sweetheart. I can take care of myself. Stop worrying."

She rolled her eyes and walked over to Chris, a blush rising in her beautiful pale cheeks.

With one last encouraging smile to the others, Leon took a deep breath and opened both doors. The letter from earlier and its haunting description of what was to come in this abandoned shack shouldn't be ignored. Mendez made it clear that he had the only key to the large metal gate that would lead them finally out of range of the disturbing village, and where he would be or at least drop by. What the key looked like or where it would be stored here wasn't made clear, only that they wouldn't be able to avoid whatever awaited them here. Frankly, Leon was hoping that Mendez left the key here and had went on to do whatever Big Cheeses do. After all, the guy may be a dork, but he had enough strength to possibly rip out his spleen with his bare hands.

Ignoring his sudden case of nerves, Leon stepped inside with his gun ready. He heard the heavy metal doors slam shut behind him, giving him the feeling of being quite alone and far from safety. He looked quickly to the right, seeing only boxes and old moldy stuff. He then quickly looked to his left, seeing crates and a ladder. Nothing out of the ordinary to rouse suspicions of another presence. But even ordinary appearances can fool a well trained eye. The agent felt and heard something behind him. A breeze in fact... A breeze inside a tightly enclosed building with no windows... Yeah.

He stood there frozen unable to move. Leon felt heavy breathing ruffling his dark blond hair.

_Great. Now I have a psycho with twice my height and weight standing behind me. Can this night get any worse?_

The agent quickly turned with his finger squeezing the trigger. But he was stopped from shooting when a large, cold hand wrapped around his throat.

_My luck sucks._

Mendez lifted him above the ground and sneered at the struggling agent. Leon kicked his feet in the air, trying to hit the over grown Cheese ball. Mendez snorted, and threw him away like he weighed as much as a rag doll. Leon's head and shoulders smacked against the roof beam with a audible crack. He grunted in pain as he fell on his face. Pushing past the pain, he turned around and watched as Mendez twisted the door handles together like they were only ribbon. Banging at the door showed him that Chris and Claire had heard the commotion, and were trying to disregard his orders. Luckily or unluckily, (depending on your view) they wouldn't be rushing in to save the day. No. This battle was for Leon and Leon alone.

Mendez stepped forward with a look of triumph in his good eye. Leon smirked at the man, knowing he could handle the big oaf, despite of his earlier reservations. Suddenly, the chief stopped and just look off into space. Leon looked at him with a puzzled stare. The parasite pupped was looking all around like he was hearing voices. And this is what the big Cheese heard.

"Muah!Hahahahahahahahaaaaa! Leon's not taking the big Cheeze seriously, is he Becca!" Mendez heard the sound of Sheila's voice.

Then he heard another females voice, saying, "Heheheheheheee! Yeah! I'm glad you took my suggestion on the Big Cheese moment. Hey! Let's torture him some more!"

Mendez growled and said, "Ah-ha! So silverfox's name is Becca!"

Leon looked at him while shaking his head. It was a sad, sad thing when a fearsome enemy such as the village chief cracks like a cheaply pot of clay made by a nearly blind granny. It was even more sad when the chief has a embarrassing tatto on his bald head. Mendez looked at the snickering agent, his pasty face suddenly flushed with growing anger.

"What?," asked the angry Mendez.

Leon pointed at his head, breaking out in laughter. Mendez felt his head, feeling nothing. He growled and began looking around for a mirror. A mirror appeared in his hand mysteriously. He looked in it and gasped in outrage. On his head was a tatoo of himself smiling goofy, wearing a pink too-too and holding a plate of Cheddar Cheese. In a thought bubble above the tattoo's head was these words, "The Power of CHEESE!" Mendez let out a growl of outrage and threw the mirror down, stomping it to pieces. By then, Leon was laughing hysterically at the sight. Wouldn't you if a overgrown man was pitching a tantrum like a two year old toddler?

Chris and Claire looked at each other with a odd look.

"Okaaaay. Either they're tickling Leon as a new torture tactic, or he's gone a little loopy," Claire remarked.

Chris gave his own theory.

"I think he's high or something," he said with a smirk.

Claire gasped and punched her brother in the arm.

"What? Why else would he not let us in! He's smoking some weed! Ouch! Stop hitting me," said Chris, teasing his sister.

Meanwhile, back to our other hero...

Mendez looked down at the laughing agent, anger was spreading like a wildfire in his heart. Not able to take this insult any longer, he let out a savage yell and lurched forward, bringing down his fist to kill the agent with a powerful blow. Leon rolled out of the way to the right, the chief's fist smashing the floor with a loud whack. The agent found himself next to a red, gasoline barrow. With a spur of the moment idea, he kicked it, releasing the gas on the floor. Mendez straightened up and looked at the gasoline with a calm face. It surrounded his feet now, not a good thing.

Leon pointed his gun and said, "Asta luego."

Bang! Bang! The floor erupted with fast moving flames. Leon jumped away to the back as the barrel exploded.

He looked back at Mendez, expecting to see pieces of the village chief decorating the room. But to his horror, the Big Cheese was very well still intact. Long, black, claws shot out of his finger tips. A animal like growl came from his chest as the morphing Big Cheese kept his gaze steadily on his adversary. His coat burnt off his body as the flames licked up every square inch of clothing. His skin seemed to resist the fire, no blisters or scorched flesh coming into view. Suddenly, four thick, pink and red sharp limbs ripped through the flesh of his back. He let out a growl as his midsection stretched until the skin tore, not intestines or body organs spilling out like it would for a normal human being.

His upper body rushed up, revealing a centipede, skinny body of the parasite. Now, the man could reach the wooden beams in his new, not needed inches for his height. The chief roared at Leon with a lust for his blood, no longer holding back his power. Leon smirked and stood up. If the gloves were off, then so be it. He could play dirty. And the other explosive barrel next to him would be a great place to start.

He backed away, waiting for Mendez to take the bait. The snarling cheif did, taking unsteady steps toward Leon. His body swaying with a slippery sound. He bowed over a bit to walk under the low beam, giving Leon the chance to shoot the barrel. It exploded, sending a fire ball up at the monster Mendez. The creature screamed in pain, his back bending over all the way behind him. This gave Leon the chance to shoot several times at the centipede body of the Big Cheese. After seeing Mendez beginning to regain his balance with his new strange body, he ran to the doors and holstered his gun. He took his shotgun off his shoulder and turned around, waiting for the monster.

Mendez glared at the agent. His long, thick, sharp tendrils reached for the beams. He grabbed them and pulled himself forward and landed a few feet in front of Leon. The agent didn't even bat an eye in surprise as he began firing at the hideous creatures midsection. Mendez stepped back at first, growling at the impact. With a powerful heave, he responded to the agent's attack with a sweep of one of his sharp tendrils. Leon dodged the deadly piece of flesh and rolled out of the way. He tried to pass the creature, but was stopped when Mendez grabbed him and tried to give him a killer bear hug. Leon let out a painful cry as the sharp tendrils pierced dangerously into his back and shoulders. With his knack of thinking on his feet no matter what the situation, he head butted Mendez three times. The Big Cheese let him go with a grunt, giving Leon the chance to run back to the spot where he shot the barrel. Shouldering his boom-stick, he quickly took out his TMP out of his case, not bothering to put it back on as he fired at the creature. The bullets sliced through Mendez's centipede body, causing his upper body to fall back again.

Leon struggled for breath as his wounds bled dangerously. He ignored the stcky blood that poured down his back and ran forwrd at the struggling Mendez.

"Alright Cheese ball! Eat this you piece of crap!," with that said he he dropped his TMP and pressed the barrel of his shotgun at the base of the centipede spine, firing at will.

The body was blown away from the legs, leaving a screaming Mendez legless and bleeding gunk profusely. Leon smiled, seeing the legs keep waling with blood spraying in the air. The legs collapsed, while the upper body dragged itself on the ground. Suddenly, Mendez's tendrils stretched up and grabbed the beams.

Leon cursed at the creature as it hung up in the air, smiling at him. So much for the battle being over. Shouldering his shotgun again, he grabbed the TMP he had dropped and climbed up the second ladder. When he reached the top, he had to drop the TMP and dodge instantly as a sharp tendril tried to impale him. He rolled to the side and aimed with his shotgun at the evil Mendez. The blasts proved to be enough, causing Mendez to loose his grip from the force of each shot, falling to the ground. Leon put his shotgun quickly back on his shoulder. He grabbed his small machine gun off the ground and then aimed and fired off several rounds at the struggling monster on the ground.

_"Heh. He's deffensless when he's not holding on to something," _Leon thought with a smirk.

An angry Mendez grabbed a beam back by the door, determined to kill the agent once and for all. Blood or no blood, the pest had to be destroyed.

Leon had to give the stupid thing credit. Besides it's persistence in killing him, it could really stretch those weird limbs a ways. As the Big Cheese made his way among the wooden beams, dark smoke filled the air. It was increasingly making it hard for him to see Mendez, despite the light from the fire. He heard a mushy sound as the determined chief glided from beam to beam, chuckling at the agent and his inability to pin point his exact location. Leon felt his muscles tense as he ran over to the side, trying to get a glimpse of the ever moving Mendez.

He raised his gun and tried to fire, but only getting a clicking sound.

"D-mn!," Leon cursed.

He ran out of ammo without realising it. He was very good of averaging the amount of shots he made, but this time he wasn't able to keep up thanks to the surrounding danger and slickness of his enemy. He dropped the gun as a tendril knocked him back down to the floor. The air rushed from him, leaving Leon laying there in pain and dazed. Mendez growled as he dropped to the lower beam, smiling in victory. Leon grabbed his handgun and shot at the tendrils holding the ugly torso up of the grotesque chief.

Mendez fell to the ground and let out a growl of frustration. Leon got up and spat up some blood, the blow had been a direct hit of most of the chief's strength. He stumbled over to the struggling Mendez and began unloading every bullet he had in his gun into the back of Mendez's head. He screamed and began jerking around. Leon took this opportunity to climb back up the ladder. He ran and grabbed his shotgun and reloaded. Mendez quickly made his way back up the beams and growled as he unleashed more of his temper. He tried to slice Leon with his long limbs, but missed as the wizened agent dodged them with ease.

Leon smiled, despite the way his body protested. He knew what to do.

"So, Big Cheese. You are really getting slow, old man," he taunted the angry Mendez.

Mendez growled as he moved back to the next beam and tried to get the cocky agent on the other side.

"I mean really. You are the one these idiots listen to when your leader Saddler is not around? No wonder me and my friends have been able to come this far," Leon said with a grin.

Another appendage sliced in the air, way off target. Mendez let out a roar as he launched himself to the beam in front of Leon. He tried to hit him, but was knocked of by the blast of the shotgun. He fell to the ground with a loud thud.

His vision in his good eye began to get blurry from his numerous wounds. His most recent wound was the worst. Red blood and yellow puss poured out of the hole in his chest. He began crawling, trying to get away from his impending death. Completly unable to admit defeat. Leon jumped down and let out a grunt of pain. His wounds in his back and shoulders were still bleeding, though not as bad. Dragged his feet along the ground as he walked forward, Leon could feel victory close at hand. Taking out his handgun while putting up his shotgun, he gave the miserable creature a pitying look before he fired once, a single bullet leaving the gun with deadly force. The bullet pierced the air and embedded itself inside the back of Mendez's skull. The hot lead struck against the other bullets, causing a chain reaction in his nervous system. That was the final straw as Mendez screamed with outrage and fear as the parasite within died.

He reached his large hand out in the air, blood spurting out his mouth. His cry became muffled as blood bubbled up his throat. His last memorie on this earth was of his wife's dying scream as he gruesomely killed her for his Lord. His heart cried out in denial and pain at the memory.

His beloved last words echoed in his ears, "Bitorez, your choice will come back to haunt you. In the end, your actions will destroy you! Leaving you to a bloody death, alone and without mercy."

His wife had spoken those wise, prophetic words as he killed her without even blinking, feeling no remorse.

Mendez then died, mouth opened in a silent scream. His wife in the end was right. Leon stepped forward, his gun pointed at the still form of the creature. A brown liquid poured out of his body, releasing a stench in the air. Suddenly, his false red eye popped out of the socket, leaving a slimy trail. Leon holstered his gun and picked up the goo covered object.

"Bingo. Thanks for the key, Big Cheeze," he said with a smirk.

A crashing sound to the side caught his attention. A way of escape had appeared. Leon smiled and pocketed the eye, thankful that after all that hard work, he wouldn't die an embarrassing death by smoke inhalation. But before he left, he checked out the pockets of Mendez's lower half of his body. He found some gold bars which was a little bit weird, but who was he to complain? He put the bars in his case and began scouting around the room for ammo. It wasn't long before he found some shotgun and TMP ammo, a grenade, a flash grenade, and some herbs. He picked up his TMP and put it away in his case along with the rest of his findings.

The smoke began to get to hm, making him dizzy. He quickly ran and jumped through the hole, landing in a croaching position. Chris and Claire heard the sound and ran around the building. The motorcycle loving chic sighed with relief to see Leon alive. She ran over to the agent, but slowed when she noticed all his wounds.

Claire gasped and said, "Leon! you need to sit down for a minute. Don't argue, I need to tend to your wounds."

Leon didn't feel like arguing, and excepted the help from Claire and Chris as they lowered him down to a seated position on the ground.

"Is he okay," asked a worried Sheila as Ashely and herself appeared around the corner. They ran up to the three heroes and gave Leon a worried look.

Leon gave a thumbs up as Claire helped him take off his shirt. Deep gashes were in his shoulders and back, still oozing blood, though it already began to clot and slow down. Sheila watched Claire as she cleaned out wounds, wincing as he friend hissed in pain as she covered his shoulders with the mixed green/red/yellow herbs. She then began stitching up the two wounds in his shoulder, and afterwards she finished covering the wounds with bandages. The ones in his back was takin care of with the herbs, no stitching acquired. (Although they were deep enough to cause enough blood loss to worry a doctor.) Claire smiled as he put his shirt back on, already seeing an improvement. Gotta love those herbs, people. Makes me wish I had some myself.

Chris helped him up, giving him a smile.

"See? I told you guys I could handle it. Just needed a herb to perk me up," Leon said while rolling his stiff shoulders.

Claire rolled her eyes and let Leon deceive himself. To her, he could have used at least one of them to help with whatever was in that shack.

As they left the area, Chris asked a question that plagued all of their minds, "Leon, why were you laughing like a maniac in there?"

Leon sighed and replied, "Let's just say the village chief who attacked me was acting like... Well, to tell the truth, it's hard to explain. He was acting crazy, so just leave it at that. I'll explain when we get out of here."

Chris shrugged his shoulders and stated, "See Claire? I told you he probably wasn't high."

Leon gave Claire a startled look as she tried to deny it.

And that my dear readers, is what was talked and argued about all the way out of the deserted area.

As they went through the gate and walked past the merchant, Sheila whispered to Ashley, "And I thought we were bad."

Ashley nodded in agreement.

**Authors Note: Okay, now we are getting somewhere! Soon, we'll be entering the castle with our heroes! Stick around as the group face unimaginable horrors! Until the next chapter, keep reviewing!**


	19. Chapter 18:The Red Carpet Treatment

**Authors Note: Hello, thanks for all the reviews! Now we are on our way to the next level of the game! El Yaaaaay! So keep reading and reviewing! Even if it's a flame, just review! Enjoy! Oh! And don't forget to read the Authors note at the end, I got another challenge for ya'll! Now read the chapter!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 18: The Red Carpet Treatment**

The group made it to the door with the eye scanner with no interruptions. Leon took out the false eye and held it up to the lock. A red laser scanned the slimey object, then unlocked the gate. The agent smiled and opened the gate.

"We're almost out of this crazy town," he said with relief. Leon closed the gate behind them as they passed through, noticing how everything was quiet and still.

Skies were now more clear, revealing the full moon. Light from the Moon revealed a path that led up hill. It was a short path, nothing out of the ordinary. But everything was too quiet, making them nervous. Even though they longed for this kind of peace and solitude, their earlier encounters with the locals of this region had given a sharp lesson. Never trust the silence, it only meant that something was lurking just around the corner.

Leon and Chris started to walk up the path first when they noticed some villagers up at the top, standing eerily still. They froze, both aiming their handguns at the villagers. As they resumed walking quietly, they noticed the start of an old, big engine. Leon gulped, knowing that these people are crazy behind the wheel.

A large, old fashioned, army truck appeared, running over the startled villagers on top of the hill. The men backed away as the old rickety truck honked and honked, sounding like the truck from Jeepers Creepers. Both men began to fire while backing up quickly. Their bullets went through the window, but not one hit the driver. The lights of the truck blinded the two men, making it harder to shoot properly.

Fearing for the worst, Chris shouted, "Girls! Get out of here!"

Sheila tried the door, finding it locked.

"We can't! It's locked," she said with a quavery voice.

Leon cursed and ran back as the truck began driving down the hill. He shot out one light, giving him and Chris some visual of the driver. The driver was laughing like a mad man, his eyes burning red like a possessed man. The two men fire again, this time hitting and killing the driver. The driver slumped over the wheel, causing the truck to drive out of control. The wheels turned sharply to the right, causing the truck to turn on it's side and crash into the tree's and bushes.

Panting, Leon looked at the girls and ordered, "Come on! Go! Go! Go!"

The group galvanised in to action. Sheila nervously ran past the truck, hearing a villager in the truck curse.

_"Why is it that Ashley can run by without alerting the creepy villagers, but when I_ _do it, they notice?" _Sheila mentally questioned nobody in particular as she picked up the pace.

Up ahead, she saw the three Raccoon survivors aim behind her, telling her to duck so she wouldn't get shot. Bullets whizzed past her head as she pumped her legs faster, trying to reach her friends before becoming a kidnapped victim yet again. She managed to make it past her protectors, looking from behind them they mowed down the villagers with a hail of bullets. When one not so bright Ganado drew close, Claire quickly reached inside her special bag, taking out her sawed off shotgun to blow the villager away.

After killing the last of the stragglers, they turned around and ordered the girls to get moving. Sheila of course didn't listen as she ran back down to the truck.

"Sheila! What are you doing," asked Leon as he followed her.

She knelt down by the truck and picked up the little chest that had a butt load of pesetas.

"Just grabbing some money for you guys. You'll need it, trust me," she said as she handed it to Leon.

He heaved a deep, exasperated sigh as he took the pesetas.

"Don't scare us like that again. Okay," he said with a small smile.

She gave him a mischievous look and replied as they ran up the hill, "Can't promise ya that Leon."

Leon ruffled her hair to her dismay, and chuckled as they rejoined the group. He held up the box and said, "Sheila found some pesetas."

Chris nodded and tried to give Sheila a stern look, but failed since she didn't really care or look cowed by the intimidating older man.

Claire shook her head while shooing Leon's offer away, "You and Chris keep it. I'm doing good in the money department."

The guys shrugged and split the money. After the little interlude, they jogged down the path that connected with the bridge of the castle. They stopped to look at the creepy place.

"Woe. That looks like Dracula's castle," remarked Chris.

Claire agreed while looking at the castle with a weary look. Suddenly, the sound of a mob and their excited shouts could be heard from the hill. Leon looked behind him and saw dozens of torches, then turned to look at the other end of the path to see even more heading their way from that end.

Knowing they could never beat all those villagers, he grabbed Ashley's arm and said as he started to run, "We have no choice. Head for the castle!"

The group ran across the large bridge, not even daring to look back at the angry villagers. When they made it across, Leon noticed two levers that looked like they pulled up the bridge.

He gave Chris a yell as he ran over to one and gripped the handle, "Hurry! We got to get the bridge up!"

Chris ran over to the other lever, giving Leon the sign that he was ready. Both men strained as they started tp slowly crank the levers. The chains of the bridge groaned as the middle began to divide. It was like those bridges that open up in the middle. You know what I mean.

The villagers tried to run up their side of the bridge, some even making it to the edge as their side tipped upwards. AS dedicated to the cause, they attempted to jump over to the other half of the bridge, but came up short and fell a hundred feet below into the sea. The guys were straining as the veins in their muscle-y arms popped to the surface. Beads of sweat dripped down their faces as they worked faster and faster drawing up the ancient bridge. Finally, the chains stopped. The bridge was up, preventing anybody from crossing over.

The men panted as they clapped each other on the back, relieved that they were finally away from the village. Claire gave each of them a hug, happy that all of them made it through the nightmarish village.

Leon looked at everyone in his group and said with a tired grin, "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Anyone for a army ration?"

Everyone groaned at the thought of eating that food. Leon, Chris, and Claire brought out their food and divided it equally among the five of them.

Sheila sighed and prayed over the food. She heard rumors about army rations. Guess she was about to find out if all those rumors were true. They all ate in silence, to busy feeding their hungry stomachs. It wasn't the greatest, but it did fill them up and gave them some energy. Ashley frowned after eating her portion.

"That was the most disgusting food I ever have had the displeasure of eating," she said grumpily.

Sheila took a big gulp of Claire's water before retorting, "Well, be thankful you even got to eat. I personally am gratefull to the army for creating such icky but fulfilling food. God bless the U.S.A," she said with her hand over her heart.

Leon chukled at this and said while stretching his sore limbs, "Okay, everyone. Let's get going."

The group trouped into the castle, hoping for a rest from all their troubles. Well, except for Sheila, she knew what crappy situations they were going to face.

**R**

Salazar had torn up the note that was given to him. It reported that the agent and those two Americans were still alive. And they still had the girls with them! He rubbed his pale, throbbing temple as he let the information sink in. Mendez was dead. That didn't surprise the tiny, moody man. He never really cared for the giant. He was just the guard dog to the castle, and a lazy one at that! No matter, the agent and his friends will not make it far.

He gave a maniacal laugh. Little did these intruders know that there would be no escaping this place. If they thought the tiny, insignificant village was troublesome, then this place will be what makes their worst nightmares come true. He smiled. and ordered his right hand man to tell the monks that it was time. Time to kill Scott Kennedy. This will please his Lord greatly! He'll bring his head on a silver platter to Lord Saddler, and iniciate the girls into Las Plagas way of life, making them officially apart of the purest race on the planet. Soon, Lord Saddler's vision will be reality!

**R**

"Well, strangers! You're looking worse for ware!," the merchant said while checking out their appearance.

It was true. They were dirty, and their clothes were torn in places where blood and mud had made permanent stains. Though the two younger girls no longer looked as fresh as they did when being abducted, they haven't been in the scene of battle as long as the other three have been to look like hell. Claire, (who had no more armor on) her shirt was torn in places where blades had torn and me both flesh and fabric. Brownish, yellowish stains were on her clothes and face. Chris was looking a little better than she was, thanks to his outer protection. He still had his armor, but the his arms of sleeves were shredded, his face covered in some dark stains of dirt that the rain was able to quite wash off, and his spiky gelled hair was no longer standing up anymore. The stains on his clothes matched his sister's. Poor Leon looked worse than all of them. He had the worse wounds, the shabbiest clothes, and his hair was looking less blond with all the gore and dirt caked in it.

Leon rolled his eyes at the merchant's obseration and said, "Just show us the goods."

The merchant grinned as he brought out his backpack. Carefully, he took everything out and laid them on display on the table. New weapons, ammo, first aid spray, a map of the castle, and a larger case met eager eyes. He chuckled at the look on Leon's face.

"Well Stranger, how about some better weopans," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Leon smiled as he shopped among the better selection of equipment. Claire smiled, he reminded her of a kid in a candy store.

Chris walked up beside Leon and began saying, "If I was you, I'd sell all of your weapons and upgrade these babies."

Leon nodded and turned to the merchant.

The merchant asked while rubbing his hands together, "What are ya selling?"

As Leon sold all his weapons (not the TMP!) Sheila whispered to Claire, " How does he get here so darn fast! What is he, Superman?"

Claire looked at Sheila and shook her head.

"You still on that subject," Claire asked.

Sheila shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I got a one tracked mind."

Leon put his new, upgraded weapons in his new, much larger case, except of course for the riot gun. The merchant even gave him a strap for for free for the Riot gun and the automatic Rifle. He even gave Leon a deal on a better scope for the Rifle, in which the agent was polite enough to thank him warmly.

Chris asked why he didn't get a strap for his Riot gun and Rifle, and the merchant simply replied, "Ya didn't ask, ZombiKler. But I'll be happy to sell ya some."

Chris scoffed at this and walked out of the small shack. Leon gave the merchat a nod goodbye as he followed suit.

As Claire and Ashley left the small building, Sheila gave a pointed stare and said, "I'm going to figure out how you get to place to place so fast."

The merchant chuckled and replied, "I would like to see you try, little miss."

"You're on, Stranger."

She left the merchant with a smile, hearing him call after her, "Hey! Stranger is my trade mark saying!"

As Sheila stepped out into the cold night air, she noticed how the open, stone court yard was much larger and creepier than in the game.

_"Guess it's bigger when you are actually standing in it," _she thought as she rejoined the group.

They were gathered at the base of the stone steps. Sheila noticed how the steps were cracked and worn smooth by age, somehow adding to its charm... Or creep factor, depending what out look you have on places like that. As for Sheila, she almost sighed with content. She loved old castles. She's always loved history and the stories of things of the past. Although, the person who taught or wrote about historical events had to definitly make it interesting. Iif they didn't, she would fall asleep which happened once during class years ago. Veeery embarrassing.

"What was that all about," Claire asked while looking back at the little shack. Sheila shrugged and smiled.

"Shouldn't we get going? I would really like to reach that helicopter before I grow old," Sheila said before Claire could question any more about the merchant.

"Yeah, we're going. Just making sure we had enough ammo. You know, just in case," Chris said while getting his Black-tail ready.

Leon patted Sheila on the shoulder and said, "Let's move out."

**R**

Salazar smiled as a follower came up to him and bowed as he walked down the halls of his castle. The follower was waring a black robe, resembling a monk of a more peaceful religion. His skin was even paler than the villagers, giving him the look of a vampire. His head was shaved as was tradition for this occult, with red markings showing his status.

He began to speak (In Spanish), "Master Salazar, we have everything prepared, just as you ordered. The catapults are prepped and ready, along with your men."

Salazar smiled evily, confident that the agent and his two friends will die. But, he had to make sure of one thing.

"Remember, do not kill Ashley or that red haired one. They are crucial to Lord Saddler's plans," he said with a penetrating glare.

The monk foolishly responded, "Oh, Master Salazar, we would never do something as foolish as the village folk would. You are wrong-"

Saddler turned and looked up at the monk with a veicious glare. His eyes grew wild as he began to stomp and rant.

"Do you dare question my intelligence, nave! I am Lord Saddler's right hand! I should have you impaled for such insolence," spat out the little wee man. It was a comical sight, but not to the monk. The monk fell to his knees and bowed his face all the way to the floor.

"Oh Master Salazar! Forgive me! Don't have me put to death! If you want, I shall give myself fifty lashings. Just have mercy! MERCY!," the monk cried as he begged for his life. Salazar smiled at the cowering man. His sadistic mind loved fear, death, and blood. He was not merciful whatsoever, but he decided to let the monk live. After all, the sound of him flogging himself was too much to resist.

He walked around the monk, putting his hands behind his back. He looked up at his two body guards and gave them an sadistic smile.

"Get up, you worm! I will let you live. I'm not such a bad guy, you know. But for your punishment, you will give yourself one hundred lashes. In my presence," he said with a crazy smile.

The monk nodded like a happy puppy and stood back on his feet.

"You still have a young parasite in you, nave. You don't know yet that you are my slave. For Lord Saddler gave me this power, knowing you idiots would not know how to handle this wonderful gift and its benefits. I know what's best for you. Now come. We'll be going to the entrance hall to wait for the agent... If he lives that is. You will flog yourself for me there," Salazar said as they walked down the hall.

The monk shivered at the sound of Salazar's voice. In the deepest part of his mind, he wished that Saddler had never came to this area. He then wouldn't have offered himself to have the parasite injected in his body. But that, readers, was a very small, human part if him. The parasite was all too happy to follow the orders from the drone parasite in Salazar.

**R**

"Crap! Look-outs dead ahead," Chris mentioned as they hid behind some large crates.

Leon smiled and took out his new Rifle. Chris grinned and did the same.

"Okay girls, cover your ears. This will only take a few seconds," Leon said as he put in his ear plugs.

Chris of course didn't do that. He was used to the sound. (He knew that the merchant made the sniper rifles fire with a more quiet sound than the average one.) He took out Leon's ear plugs and explained to him what he knew. Leon looked a bit embarrassed, but not too much.

They held the rifles up and aimed at the hooded cult members. By the looks of it, they were mumbling incoherently.

"Wait till they are separate from each other," Leon said while aiming at a monk.

Chris smiled and said, "I'll take the one that goes left."

Just as both monks got to the opposite sides of each other, the men fired. Both of the heads exploded, leaving blood and mucassy gore to spray out all over the castle walls. The two waited to see if this would attract attention, but it seemed nobody noticed.

Leon and Chris gave the signal to the girls that it was clear. Single file they ran across the open area. When they reached the steps, they slowed down with caution. Leon and Chris lead the way as they quickly walked up the stairs, stopping when they saw the horrible sight. A man in a red robe with what looked like a goat or rams skull mask, pointed and yelled as some men who lit a large bolder on fire, in the catapult contraption.

"RUUN!," yelled Chris as they ran down to the left.

They heard the sound of catapults releasing their great big balls of fire. Leon saw some more up ahead, which doubled the effort of his beating heart. A boulder struck the wall beside him, sending debris everywhere. He stumbled a bit, blinded by the smoke and sparks. He heard more catapults sending their boulders of doom their way.

Leon yelled, "Follow me!"

He turned sharply to the left, where they had killed those two monks just a minute ago. Ashley screamed as flaming boulder hit the spot she was just at, knocking her to the ground. Claire helped the girl to her feet, practically dragging her to safety. They rounded the corner and ran into the small doorway.

Breathing heavily, they stayed where they were as the sound of whistling boulders came crashing down, hitting the wall. But not even one came close to where they were. As they regrouped for the next task, Leon noticed the old cannon. He examined it as the others talked frantically.

"What are we going to do!" Ashley said in a panicky voice.

Chris ran his hand through his hair, at a loss at words.

"We have to keep going. If we stay pinned here, they will come after us, cornering us in this tiny little room," he said grimly.

"No WAY! I am not going back out there! You two go! We'll stay," Ashley said with eyes filled with terror. She already had a close call.

Claire tried to sooth the young woman, "Hon, we need to keep moving. Chris is right. They'll just corner us, killing me, Chris, and Leon, leaving you and Sheila defenseless and at their mercy. Besides, the map shows we-"

"I don't care! I want to go home," Ashley cried as she shook Claire's hand off her shoulder.

"Oh, give it a rest, princess! We won't survive if we stay here. Stop taking out your fear on Claire and Chris," Sheila said while clenching her fists.

Leon broke up the argument. "According to the map, there is some strategic places we can go to survive this on slaught. After me and Chris kill the maniacs up there, we'll go hopefully find a lever that will get this cannon up there. Then, we'll blow the gate away, and leave this hazardous place. But you have to listen to everything we say. Got it, Ashley?"

She looked away and nodded yes.

"Good. Now, everyone, follow my lead," Leon said as he stepped out of the little stone room.

After giving them a small smile, he ran quickly out of there. As soon as they came in sight of the catapults, the monks let it rip. Leon turned sharply to the right, the others following close behind. As they made their way up the stairs, the busy agent gave the woman a hand signal to stay back. Then he and Chris slowly peeked as they walked up the stairs. Leon immediately aimed at the catapult in the distance and fired at the monk. He killed him, but not before the monk released the catapult. Chris grabbed Leon and pulled him back down the stairs, barely avoiding the boulder as it crashed into the spot his concentrating friend was just at. Smoldering pieces of the boulder laid on the crumbled ground.

Leon looked at Chris and said, "Thanks."

Chris just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Don't thank me yet. I'll probably be saving your butt for the rest of the night."

Leon looked over the wall and saw that from their angle, the other catapults won't be able to shoot at them. But he did notice a cult member in a red rode, waring a gold, spiked, skull helmet that covered his entire face and head. The man was standing inside a sturdy, stone weapons room, doing nothing. He was just standing there with a scabbard in his hands, as if waiting for something or certain people.

Leon spoke while aiming at the man's chest, "Chris and Ashley, run and get inside that building as soon as I kill this creep. After the two of you get in the building, I want Claire and Sheila to run over and get in the building as soon as there is a break from those catapults."

Chris nodded and grabbed Ashley's hand while holding the rifle with the other hand. Not easy.

Leon aimed at the weird cult member, then fired inside the man's chest. Blood squirted from the bullet wound, but it seemed to not faze him much. The man grunted and ran out of the building, his blade raised high. Leon took aim and fired again, this time the shot killed him as the bullet went through his heart. The strange robed figure tripped and fell to the ground, melting away. The agent then gave them the signal to move out. Chris ran as hard as he could, dragging a panicky Ashley behind him. She wasn't as fast as him, so he had to pull hard to make her keep up.

The sounds of catapults galvanizing into action made him run even harder. They barely made it inside the little room as the flaming boulder crashed against the entrance. The building held strong, barely shaking from the blast. Several more catapults fired uselessly at the small room. Ashley crouched against the wall in the back, barely noticing the older man asking if she was okay. Not getting an answer but seeing that she was at least not in her normal hysterics, Chris began looking around. The place was even smaller than where they saw the merchant last. He frowned at this, not too happy about the tightness there will be when all of them are stuck here. Looking out the window, he watched as another catapult up above, just ten feet away, stayed prepped and ready. He smiled as he took aim at the red gasoline barrow next to the monk. He fired at the barrel, causing a large explosion. The area shook as the catapult and it's monk were blown up to bits. He gave Leon a thumbs up as a fresh wave of boulders were released his way. He stood back and smiled as the boulders hit everywhere but the little room they were in.

He looked back at Leon, apparently, he looked worried about something downstairs. As soon as there was a lull in the catapulting, he gave Claire and Sheila the heads up to get moving. The two young women held hands as they raced down the small stone path to the room. Fresh boulders were released, hitting the area ahead of them, warning them that they better not even try it. They ignored this and kept running. They had a close call as the the two reached the room just as a fiery boulder hit the stone store house, causing some of the bricks to give away. Chris hugged the girls as dust filled the air.

Ashley finally detatched herself from the back wall to look out the window, seeing Leon putting the riifle over his other shoulder. He brought out his Riot gun and began racing down the path. Behind him were two cult members with more scabbords in their hands.

"Look out," Ashley screamed as one threw his blade at Leon.

Leon looked over his shoulder and jumped down as he saw the blade whizzing at his head. When he rolled over, the monks were upon him, laughing menacingly.

One cult member let out his last cry as Chris sniped him, shooting his chest. (His rifle is fully upgraded, remember?) The other cult member didn't seem to care as he raised his blade to kill Leon. Leon did the same move he did earlier when both Luis and himself were tied up to face their executioner. He stuck his leg in the air, and flipped the man behind him. The monk cried out as he hit the floor, this only angered him as he rolled over and stood back up. But he didn't even have a chance to look menacingly at the American as a stray fire boulder came whistling down through the air, and of course it was to short to hit the building out little group is in. Instead, it smashed the cult member to the ground, leaving a mushy, bloody mess. Leon sidestepped the gory scene and quickly ran to the building.

"Okay. We only got one catulpult left. Let's nuetralize them. We'll run over there by that lever and shoot like mad men before he kills us," Leon said while putting his Riot gun back on his shoulder.

Chris smiled and readied his Rifle.

"Sounds like a plan to me," he said.

Leon walked up to the door, gripping his Rifle tightly.

"On three. One. Two. THREE!" cried out Leon.

The two ran like maniacs over to the lever and the big hole. The cult member fired his catapult with his ever steady chant. Both men fired, ignoring the approaching fire boulder. It was Leon who shot the man in the shoulder, which only made him stumble back. Chris blew the guys head off with a great head shot. Blood gushed from the bloody stump as the body twitched and fell. The two smiled at one another.

Claire shouted a warning as the boulder that the now dead cult member fired was rushing down upon them. Leon grabbed Chris and moved out of the way. The crash from the splintering rock made them fall flat on their faces, slightly bruised but still alive. Leon got up with a groan and gave his hand to Chris to help him up.

"Now who's saving who's butt?" Leon asked with a smirk.

Chris scoffed and replied, "I let ya do it. You know, to give your self-esteem a boost."

Leon laughed and punched him in the arm good naturally. The girls ran over to them, all griping how stupid the two males were. The guys sighed dramatically at the nagging women.

"Women," Leon grumbled while blowing a strand of blond hair out of his eyes.

Stepping up to the lever, Leon got to work. Moving the lever was slow going at first, but soon he had it moving faster and faster as he used his strength to get the cannon up to the level where they were at. The cannon finally reached them, pointing at the big, wooden gate. Leon smiled and lit the fuse. They all covered their ears as the cannon suddenly came to life. The cannon ball demolished the door to smithereens with a loud, dramatic, action packed movie explosion.

Leon proudly said, "Ah. Nice to have a cannon around."

Sheila looked up at him and said as they walked and replied, "Now why do you suppose they have an armed and ready cannon, pointed in the direction of the gate? I smell a conspiracy!"

The group moaned as she began to give her strange therory on the subject.

**R**

"Heheheheeheheheeeee! Only ten more to go, my loyal subject," said the merry Salazar.

The painful cry of "Yes Master!" was heard as a messenger came up to the happy, young man.

"Master Salazar. I have some bad news. The agent and his friends made it past the gate. They killed all your loyal men who fired the catapults," said the cult member.

Salazar waved him away and said over the painful cries of the man down below, "No matter. I welcome the challenge. Our guests will not survive this castle alive. Where can they possibly go? We're so many while this American and his puny friends are so few... Send extra men down to greet him. I want to give him more of a Salazar welcome."

The messenger bowed and went back downstairs.

Salazar looked down from his perch. (He's in the entrance hall, the one where you first meet him in the game.) The man's bare back was covered with bloody welts where he flogged himself mercilessly. But this only bothered him half as much it would a regular human. He stood up and dressed himself, covering the wounds with his plain black robe. Then He looked up at Salazar and gazed upon him expectantly.

"Well, my servant. Did you feel pain," asked the eager Salazar. The man nodded his head. Salazar grinned as he spoke, "Good. Let this be a lesson for you. Never think you are the same level as me again. Now, on a lighter note, I want you to go help my men to kill the agent."

The man bowed and walked away, a bit stiff like. Salazar laughed as he looked at his body guards. He loved his power. He was able to control every one around him. At least, that is what he thinks. Saddler lets him think that. He's just another Ganado, one who thinks he's king of the world. In reality, he has more pull than the average Ganado, but in the end, he's just another pawn. One we eagerly anticipate in getting his butt kicked by Resident Evils best!

**R**

Chris wiped the sweat above his head as they killed the last Ganado in the room. He was beginning to miss the villagers. As Claire fitted placed gold sword in the right slot as Leon fitted the platinum sword in it's proper place, his sensitive earls picked up Sheila's conversation with Ashley.

"I'm telling you, that merchant is getting around the place too quickly! I didn't see him pass us when we were running for our lives from the catapults. That's a conspiracy I'm going to figure out! Want to help," Sheila asked the young blond.

Ashley just resumed the usual position of looking at her like she was crazy.

"You are the strangest girl I have ever met," Ashley said while shaking her head.

Sheila placed her hands on her hips and retorted, "Well. You're the snobbiest girl I have ever met. I'm just in-centric... Or am I?"

Sheila gave her a luney expression as she said the last part. Ashley gulped and stepped away from her. She finally spoke when she was at a safe distance, "I'm not a snob!"

Chris sighed and rubbed his head.

_"Those two are worse then me and Claire," _he thought with a sigh.

Leon walked up to Chris and said angrily, "Why do the creeps have to have the crappy puzzles to open doors?"

Chris shrugged and answered, "Because they're evil."

Leon would have said more, but Hunnigan was paging him. He pulled out his radio and when it began to beep. (I think he was supposed to answer it before he killed the monks in the room.. Oh well!)

Hunnigan: _Leon, where's your location?_

Leon_: We decided to lay low in a castle, but it looks like it was a bad move._

Hunnigan_: Meaning?_

Leon_: Well, it appears that this castle is also connected with the Los Illuminados. They must not get many visitors here cuz they're giving us one hell of a welcome._

Hunnigan_: Sounds bad. I have an idea, Leon. I need you to... Le..._

Leon_: What? Repeat Hunnigan... Great. Just my luck_.

Leon ended the transmission and holstered the radio.

"What happened," asked Claire.

Leon looked at her with a tired look.

"I don't know. Maybe bad reception," he replied.

Claire strolled over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get going, handsome," she said with a smile.

Leon gave her a warm smile and nodded his head. Claire Redfield could brighten up anyones day. Especially when she remarked on your looks. Leon felt lighter and butterflies in his stomach as they left the room.

**Authors Note: Yaaaay! Another chapter finished. Okay, now for everyonse challenge. I want everyone to send in their theories on why the merchant gets around so fast. I'll mention them in the story as it progresses. When we get close to the end of this story, I'll post all the theories down in the Author's note and ask you to vote which one you want! I may even combine a few! But until then, just send me your theories so I can work it into the story! The theories can be as crazy as you want! Enjoy! Please review and respond when you can! Byeeee! **

**UPDATE: THE THEORY SUGGESTION BOX IS CLOSED. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, GO TO MY PROPHILE PAGE AND VOTE ON THE POLE THAT HAS ALL THE SUGGESTIONS GIVEN BY THE FANS. REMEMBER, YOUR VOTE WILL ULTIMATELY DECIDE THE OUTCOME OF HOW THE MERCHANT GETS AROUND SO QUICKLY, AND EVEN SHAPE THE ENDING!**


	20. Chapter 19: The Castle Castallion or

**Authors Note: Hey everybody! Hope you had a great weekend! Well, here's a little late but great chapter for you peebles! Thanks for all the reviews and your therory on how the Merchant gets around! Keep sending your theories! Enjoy!**

**Resident Evil 4:A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 19: The Castle Castellon or Stallion or Whatever**!

"Leon," Luis hailed as he closed the door behind him. The group looked back with surprise on their faces.

Leon responded while turning around, "Luis!"

"Sheila," Sheila replied happily. The group gave her a strange look. "What? Like I said before, I just want to join in on the name game," she said while putting her hands on her hips.

Luis walked up to them and smiled as he said, "I got it! It's right... What? It's here... aaaw, sh-t! I must of dropped it back there while trying to escape."

"Get what?" Ashley asked with curiosity.

Luis looked at her with a pained expression, then at the rest of the group and said, "Your medication that will help suppress the parasite's growth... Look, I know the three of you are infected. You've been having spasms and been coughing up blood, right?" Luis asked with a knowing expression.

Leon, Sheila and Ashley looked nervously at each other, then back at Luis.

"Yeah," Leon answered with a defeated tone.

Luis nodded and looked at the two girls standing next to him and asked, "And you two?"

He really didn't want to hear what he knew what they were about to say.

"Yes... Both of us have since the church," Sheila answered for both of them. Although she knew what was going and how to cure herself, she still felt afraid of what could become of them. Luis felt the same thing.

"D-mn it! The eggs have hatched! That doesn't give you much time... I got to go back," Luis said with finality.

He turned and began walking away. Sheila felt a lump forming in her throat as she realised she would never see Luis alive again. His fate was a horrible death by Saddler. She had to try to stop it!

"Wait, I'll come with you," Ashley said before Sheila could get Luis's attention. Luis turned slightly and looked at the group.

"No, you stay here with Leon. He's better with the ladies," he said with a serious tone. He looked at Claire and winked, then turned around and proceeded down toward the door. Sheila ran over to him as quickly as possible, ignoring Claire as she called out her name.

"Luis, stop! You can't leave! You have to stay with us," she said with a determined, authoritive voice.

Luis arched a eyebrow and said with a small smile, "I do, do I? Sounds to me like ya going to miss me."

Sheila let out a scoff and said, "Nooooo. I just think it's a stupid thing for you to go off alone without someone looking out for ya! We need to stick together."

Sheila said the last part with a silent plea in her hazel eyes. She just couldn't let the poor guy die like that. If there was a chance to save this poor scientist's life, than by George she was going to do it!

Luis put his hand on her shoulder and said with a reassuring voice, "I'll be okay. I have to go back, little senorita. This medicine will help with the convulsions; make them easier. If it will make you feel better, I promise that the next time I come back, I'll stick around. Okay?"

Sheila sighed and nodded her head. He did have to go back. Leon will need the medicine later to help him out. But she knew Luis would not stick around even if he did survive. He had that deal with Ada. And Ada will make sure that he keeps his word.

Luis smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze, then he turned around and started walking the rest of the way to the door.

Sheila continued to gaze at his retreating back as she heard Leon call out, "Why are you doing this?"

Luis didn't even break stride as he replied, "It makes me feel better. Let's just leave it at that."

He opened the door and was finally gone. Sheila whispered under her breath as she felt Chris put a comforting arm around her shoulder, "I'll save you, Luis Sera. I promise."

"Come on Red. Let's get going," Chris said while leading her to the door that will lead them to the key. Which they will have to fight for it. But that was Resident Evil for ya. They make you work it.

**R**

Wesker sipped his hot, black, strong cup of coffee as he waited for Ada to answer his call. Her face appeared on the monitors, looking as striking and well kept as ever. You wouldn't have known she was on a life or death mission, just by looking at her.

She gave him her fake smile and greeted his immage with a cool tone. "Wesker. Getting a little impatient, I see. I was just about to call you."

Wesker arched a brow as he replied, "Really? Hm. That would be a surprising twist."

She smirked and got down to business, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Wesker set his coffee down on the small table next to his chair. "No. Not really. I want to know the progress you have made."

Ada gave him an emotionless look, telling Wesker that she probably made no progress. But she proved him wrong.

"I found some information in files and diaries about the Plagas. Even some lab reports. It's interesting. They appeared to have branched out further than you anticipated," she said while hiding behind a wall. She looked like she was getting distracted by something.

Wesker took note of this and said, "Well, guess they're not such a backwoods cult after all. But it doesn't surprise me much. Luis is a top notch scientist. I'll contact you later. Remember, make sure not to reveal yourself to our fellow friends. They could mess up things if they caught wind of you."

She smirked and hung up.

Wesker picked back up his coffee, and began sipping the hot liquid. He knew that they probably already suspected, but it didn't hurt to be careful. And the news on the cult was only old news. He suspected that they were branching out, if they didn't, this cult would have never caught his attention.

He closed his eyes as he enjoyed his coffee.

"Aaah. The simple pleasures of life," he said as he drank the dark brew.

**R**

"This castle is filled with more freaks than that village," Claire mumbled as they unlocked the doors.

She looked at Leon and felt the fear clenching in her stomach. The man she's counted on for years now had that creature in him, along with the girls. The thought of losing anyone in this group made her sick. Leon caught her gaze as Chris opened the doors. He noticed the pained look she was giving him. It wasn't hard to guess that the news she heard about the parasites had upset her. He should have mentioned it earlier, but in a way, he was in denial about it. He tore his gaze from her and walked inside.

Chris whistled at the sight. The place was huge, and looked so medieval. Although, he wouldn't have put those creepy banners of the cult's insignia all over the room like that. It really devalued the place for him, ruining the moment of admiring old history and beauty. Suddenly, a creepy giggle broke their attention from their surroundings. They looked around them, trying to find where that sound came from. Chris and Leon shared a look as they walked further in the room. Then, a little bark of laughter waifed around them again. The older Redfield looked all around, trying to find the source of that annoying laughter.

He looked at Leon and said, "Sounds like a elf or something."

Leon nodded in agreement and continued forward, walking within sight of the balcony above. Then, a fit of laughter was heard above them, catching every-ones attention. A small man in a Victorian, royal looking, blue outfit stood above them, wearing a blue triangular hat. He had the pasty pallor of those infected with the parasite, and somewhat wrinkly crows-feet around the eyes. A pair of small, beady yellow eyes that danced with evil mischievousness gazed upon them with a giddiness, more then likely dreaming up different ways to kill them. His hair was grey and pulled back in a pony tail, although neat, it looked stringy and unhealthy.

The two standing next to him were hard not to notice. Both were immensely tall; one waring a black hooded robe with a hood covering its ugly face with a red insignia of the cult embroidered on the front of the robe. It's hands were not even human. They were black and long like claws. The other one was just the same height and looked the same. The only difference was the robes. His or its was red with the black embroidered sign on it.

Claire shuddered at the sight of the two creatures. She had a feeling that they were going to see what they looked like some day. She hoped she was wrong. The little stranger looked down as he laughingly said, "Hahahahahaa! Hehehehehehehheee! I was beginning to wonder when you would notice us."

Leon demanded with a confident voice, "Who are you?"

The man grinned even wider, making his features look even creepier. Sheila curled a lip in disgust at the pathetic looking young man.

The young twenty year old responded with a grand gesture of his hands, "Me illamo Ramon Salazar. I am the eighth Castellon of this magnificent architecture. I've been honored with the prestigious power by the great Lord Saddler. I've been expecting you my brethren."

"No thanks, bro," Leon said while taking a defiant step forward.

The man shook his head and began walking back and forth while saying, "My, my. We have a feisty one. If you care for your well being, I suggest you surrender yourself and simply, become our hostage. Or you can just give us the girls Mr. Scott, for you don't matter a penny, I'm afraid. You can die for all we care."

With that said, the small man turned around and began walking away.

Chris mumbled, "Wow. The midget sure takes himself seriously."

Salazar stopped and quickly ran back to the balcony.

"You imbecile! I'll take special pleasure out of seeing you and your partner cry out in pain while being tortured by my best men!" Salazar said angrily as he shook a fist down at Chris.

Chris smirked and replied, "What you going to do? Go cry to mommy that the big, mean man stated something on your size? Awww, poor wee little man."

Claire gave her the brother a "That's enough." look. Chris shrugged and smirked up at the trembling little weasel.

Sheila smiled at the sight. She only saw the little guy lose it when Leon kept surviving everything. Being the strange girl that she was, the teen decided to join in on the fun.

"Hey! Mr. Mini-me of Saddler, I challenge you to a dance revolution! With those little legs, you'll win for sure! Your closer to the ground more than I am," she hollered up at the Castellon as his face actually started to turn red from anger. (To all those out there who have picked on people who are short like me or shorter. It is not nice to pick on someone who is shorter than you! My character is doing it because the guy is a creep! Plus he's fictional so he really doesn't count. Okay, back to the story. Thanks Silver Horror for the idea!)

Salazar began jumping up and down, screaming like a baby as he demanded, "Take that back! Or you'll regret it my dear!"

Sheila chuckled as Chris took up the verbal sparring, "Hey! Insect guys! You better grab your boss, I think he's going to blow or something."

The one in red came up and picked up the screaming Salazar as he screamed out in Spanish, calling them every curse word he could think of.

Leon and everyone else glared at Chris and Sheila.

Not fazed by the vibes from the others, Chris shrugged and simply stated, "Couldn't let Leon be the only one who got to talk back at the little freakoid. He's what, a hundred or something, and having a tantrum? That spells a nutcase who thinks he has everything under control. Too big of a target to ignore... We just had to blast him."

Claire growled and began walking up the steps, deeply emabarrased of the two. Ashley followed, not even bothering to look at the two big mouths. Leon sighed and tried to hide a smile. Sheila noticed and decided to say Ashley's line, trying to keep the plot going. Well, she added a thing or two.

"Leon, I don't want to turn into another crazy Salazar. I refuse to be like that! Knock me unconscious if I ever behave like that," Sheila said while walking up the stairs between the two men.

Leon agreed offered his encouragement, "Me niether. Although, knocking you out has already crossed my mind. Hey!"

Leon fake a pained voice as he covered his arm where she punched him lightly.

Sheila smiled and said, "Yeah. We'll find a cure."

Leon stopped short at the top as he said with a puzzled expression, "I have the strangest feeling like I was supposed to say that."

Sheila arched an eyebrow. "Now who's acting crazy."

Claire cursed as the passage that would have cut some time on there journey was suddenly blocked by the floor that slid up. It revealed a picture of a night on a horse, trying to slay a beast with a spear. Only, the creature wasn't finished. There seemed to be indentions with small holes where there appeared to be some pieces of the picture missing.

Leon rolled his eyes. "Now why doesn't that surprise me."

He shook his head as Chris replied, "Like I said. Crazy, evil people are the ones who think of the strangest way of opening doors or passages... Freaks"

**Authors Note: Okay, I know that this only contained conversations, but I wanted to get to the fight scene sith that Gladiator freak, so I cut out some of the fighting from earlier for the key, and made this chapter as quickly as possible! I hoped you enjoyed it! In the next chapter, there sill be gore and violence and the big fight with the Ganadore and more discussion on the merchant's way of getting from one point to the other. Keep sending in your theories! Review! **


	21. Chapter 20:Meet Senior Claws

**Authors Note: Alrighty then! More reviews! El Yaaaaaaaay! Here's another chapter except it will contain violence, gore, bad guys, things, and theories about the merchant! Muah !**

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**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 20: Meet Senior Claws**

Claire looked at the steel door in front of them. It was tuff and sturdy, with no door knob or anything visible that would open it. With all that detail taken in with a single glance, she could tell that it was likely there to keep out a powerful foe. She stepped away and looked at the two guys. They shared a knowing look, clearly just as glad as she was that it was closed. Who knows what could be lurking down there..

"Hey guys, look-ey look," Sheila just had to point out. From her view point, she could see the rusted bars of the small bars that held the dangerous foe at bay. She was curious if it was as freakish looking as it was on the game, but not enough to actually take a peek for herself. Things like that was best left to zombie survivors. Particularly Leon Scott Kennedy, the guy with the nice booty... She was definitely not going down there!

The others looked down and saw a dirty lit room with the cell. They couldn't see what was down there within the confines of the bars, and they didn't want to. It smelled of urin and death. Chris finally broke the silence.

"Well, there's nothing to see as far as I can tell. Let's keep moving."

The others agreed, and continued on with their set course. Sheila hardly moved since she knew that they would be back. Seeing no reason to go any further since they were only going to return anyways.

But Claire wasn't going to have any of that, obviously. She grabbed the reluctant girl's arm and said, "Come on, lazy bones."

She grimaced as she was led away like a six year old, giving Claire a pouty look as she was led to the room with the two statues that was blowing fire through their mouths.

Leon cursed and said with a kick to the wall, "The way to stop this fire hazzared is probably in that stupid cell."

Sheila grinned and walked over to a portrait of what looked like a aristocrat in his prime. A shiny object was shining from his belt. She grabbed the object and detached it, smiling at the others while holding up the beautiful key. It had a heart on the end of it, making it look like it belonged in a fairy tale story. Where princesses were the damsels in distress and Goblins and dragons were the villains who wrecked havoc on the fairy world. Leon took the offered key and resumed backtracking. The group followed the irritated agent back to the metal door. The key of course fit perfectly, making Leon feel even more irritated. He had a really bad feeling about that room.

The door slid up quickly after being unlocked. Leon gave the key to Claire and said, "I guess I better go down there and look for a switch or something."

Chris immediately said, "I'll go with you."

Leon shook his head and began to argue with Chris about how he didn't really need his help and blah, blah, blah. As the two were busy arguing, Claire slipped inside without anyone noticing. She quietly walked downstairs, clearly tired of the bickering. Those two got so macho when they were together long enough. Soon, they'll be competing who could make the most monster kills. Men!

Meanwhile, Sheila tried to appease the two by saying, "Hey! How about I flip a coin and see who gets to go down the creepy, dangerous cell."

The guys grew quiet, looked at each other, and shrugged.

"Heads," Chris and Leon said together.

They scowled and began arguing again. Sheila let out a exasperated sigh and walked over to Saddler's huge portrait. The largeness of the portrait only made his flaws and evilness more pronounced. The poor artist who was commissioned to make this creepy work of art was obviously unable to smooth over the flaws of the evil one. The freak with no eyebrows.

Sheila grabbed the sides of the painting and looked behind her. The guys were still arguing of course, driving even Ashley nuts. Turning her attention back on the childish scene, she returned her attention back to the painting and lifted it up. Without a hint of guilt, she dropped the oil painting on the floor without the slightest reverence for another artist's work. The noise distracted the men, causing them to look at the smiling girl who pulled two bars of gold out of the secret hiding place.

Sheila smiled and said smugly, "Sometimes, I even amaze myself."

Down below in the dimly lit, moldy-dungeon-cell-thingy, Claire walked slowly towards the rusty cell. From what the candles that dimly revealed, she could make out a tall, muscled man strapped to the wall by metal bars and chains. He wore tight, leather pants, old fashioned studded boots, and his upper torso was bare with only a metal plate partially covering the chest. The metal plate was was apart of a gladiator helmet, which appeared old but sturdy, only revealing the strange man's eyes which were sewed shut! Claire grimaced and looked at the gruesome sight. A glitter showed her that his eyes were actually slightly opened, but not enough to see properly. Dried, crusted, blood coated and matted the eyelashes, causing a look of what looked like badly put on mascara.

Claire saw a large switch in the cell, to the right of the prisoner. She looked at the man with uncertainty, wandering if she could flip the switch without rousing him. He seemed to be barely breathing, his chest roising slightly with each breath he took. She gulped and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she kicked the rusty cell door. It broke without any resistance and fell to the ground, scattering some of the dust around. The group upstairs jumped at the sound that came from down below in the cell.

"Where's Claire?" Chris asked, hoping that the answer was not down in that room.

The group ran to the window openings and looked down to see Claire going in the cell.

Sheila cried out, "No Claire! That's Leon's job!"

But it was too late.

Claire took two steps in when the Ganadore broke free from the metal bars and chains suddenly with a violent burst of strength. He let out a deep, inhuman roar as the gauntlets he had on sprouted long, sword claws. Claire stumbled backwards with a yelp of surprise, and ran into the wooden, large boxes that was sitting next to the large, thick, post in the middle of the room. The Ganadore lunged at her with it's claws raised, running with inhuman speed. She quickly jumped to her left, rolling towards the bell. She quickly got up and ran up the stairs as the Ganadore smashed the crates to pieces.

Leon and Chris came out of their stupor and ran for the door, trying to reach Claire. But as soon as the dark, auburn haired woman and the men almost reached the doorway, the metal door slammed shut with a loud bang. Leon and Chris banged on the door, trying to force it open. Sheila tried to stop them, knowing that the Ganadore will be attracted to the noise, but they couldn't hear her as all three kicked and banged on the door.

Claire heard the sound of the Ganadore rushing up the stairs toward her, the chains rattling as he grunted with glee. She quickly jumped down from the long height of the stairs, landing on her right ankle in the wrong way, roughly twisting it in the process. She cried out in pain, and rolled over to see the Ganadore scratching up the metal door. She tried to stand up, but the pressure in her ankle was severe, causing her to groan aloud. The monster stopped and turned his body toward her. He bent his head down, well, as far as the helmet would let him, and jumped off the stairs, his claw raised high. The two second scene the Gladiator represented reminded her of a Spartan. No fear, emotion, or mercy in his battle cry. Just the thirst for his enemies blood.

Claire rolled to the side at the last minute, feeling the air and the sparks as the claw collided with the stone floor. His claw didn't even recieve a dent or break, the metal for the blade strog and durable and made to last for years. She scooted away fumbling for her guns. ABove, she could hear Sheila frantically giving her some advice.

"Claire, shoot the Plagas on his back. That's the only way of killing the over grown idiot!"

The Ganadore looked up and roared at Sheila. She smiled and decided to keep making noise.

"Guys, make plenty of noise! We got to distract the Gladiator guy. He responds to noise and vibrations," Sheila said as she banged on the stony window sill.

But to her surprise, the creature stepped back, seeming to ignore her. Then it ran toward the wall, jumping high in the air and struck it's claw inside the wall. It then stuck the other claw in the crumbling, stone wall and started to climb. Sheila's eyes grew wide as saucers as Leon pulled her away from the balcony.

Sheila cried out finally and said, "That didn't happen in the game. This sucks in the suckiest way!"

To her horror, she saw the head appear. Chris ran forward with his trusty Riot gun and fired point blank range into the helmet, causing the Ganadore to lose his hold and fall to the ground with a huge boom.

Claire brought out her sawed off shotgun that Ada gave her, and waited for the monster to get up. He didn't disappoint as he stood up with a groan,rolling the kinks out of his neck. After relaxing a bit and retracting his claws, he started walking around, searching for his prey. Keeping quiet though no way calm, she tiptoed slowly around until she was right close up behind him. She was about to fire when the Ganadore whipped around and growled.

"This is going to hurt," she said as the Ganadore seemed to agree with her.

He punched her in the rib, knocking her several feet in the air, her back connecting with the wall right under the groups noses. Sheila held back a cry as she watched Claire try to get up, but apparently, the blow had cracked some ribs, making her fall back down each time she tried.

Leon cursed as he saw the creature run in the direction where he hit Claire. His heart felt like it stopped beating as he watched that very special woman just sit there, hanging her head.

"Geeeet uuuuup!" Leon screamed out in desperation.

The Ganadore sliced downward, but found only air. Claire had rolled out of the way and planted her back against the wall. Her heart was pounding as she tried to keep her breathing under control. The monster looked around, stumbling as he tried to find her. She smiled and stayed still till he turned around and retracted his claws again. He started to walk across the room, breathing heavily with soft growls rumbling deeply in his chest.

She spotted some rocks near her feet, stones that crumbled away when he was climbing the wall like some mutated cat. She bent down and nearly gasped out in pain as she grabbed the stones. The sound had the highly in-tuned Ganadore pausing. Biting her lip, she walked slowly toward the cell as the monster resumed walking around the post in the middle. She waited till he was near the bell on the wall he just climbed, and threw it. It struck the bell, letting out a loud dong that echoed with its haunting tune.

The Ganadore let out a roar and let his claws loose. He ran and began pummeling the bell, breaking it and all the wood. While doing that, his right claw got stuck in the stone wall. Seizing her chance, Claire ran forward, ignoring the pain in her right rib and shot close range into the grey, yellow, bubbling puss pocket on his upper back directly on his spine. He screamed as a yellow, fowl smelling puss sprayed out from the blast. Claire jumped back as he detached himself from the wall and stumbled around. Two, small, grey tentacles were flailing around like flags in a breese.

Claire backed away and kept her distance as the Ganadore and the parasite calmed down. The angry creature resumed his search for her, the chains clinking with each step. Leon felt hope as he watched Claire, seeing that she had a strategy made a difference. But he still had to get her out of there!

He searched his pockets and asked, "Who has the key?"

Everyone looked puzzled till Chris smacked his head and said quietly, "Claire does."

Claire looked longingly at the door, wanting to just rush upstairs and use the key to get out of there. But, she couldn't do that. He would follow her and would kill her or the others. They would have nowhere to run, thanks to the statues breathing fire. Her only choice was to flip that switch! As the Ganadore decided to yet again change his route, Claire decided to just kill the idiot. He was too much of a danger to try and escape. Plus, she had a little vengeance in mind for the creep, a little tit for tat since he did crack her rib.

But she couldn't get near him due to his being able to see at least three feet in front of him. So, she decided to use the bell strategy, spotting the last one on the opposite wall.

She waited as the Ganadore went back into his cell before throwing the rock at the other bell. The desired result happened perfectly, the creature falling for her trap yet again. Claire ran up to it and blasted the disgusting puss pocket, causing more chunks of skin and whatever that pocket was made out of, everywhere. The Ganadore roared, slashing the air till it was able to concentrate on finding her again. She backed away quickly and got ready to start the same old ritual.

_When he walks away with his back toward me, shoot. Okay Redfield? Right, sounds like a plan._

But yet again, the Ganadore did not want to play by the rules. He decided to just run around and scratch at the slightest vibration or sound, setting Claire on the defensive again.

The others began making noise to distract him, which worked. Soon, the monster didn't know rather to find his prey, or go after the loud mouth ones upstairs. This gave Claire the advantage. She dropped the shot gun and pulled out the Uzies. She ran forward and began pumping the bubbling mass full of lead. The Ganadore screamed and tried to run, but this chick had enough of the hide and seek games. She grabbed a tentacle and kept at it.

She let out a Zena warrior cry, screaming, "Die, you poor excuse for a Gladiater freak!"

As if to honor her request, The parasite bubbling mass exploded all over her clothes and face. The Ganadore let out a "Grrrrrrrrrr," and died. He dropped to the ground and laid in the brown bodily fluids and blood that pooled out of the gaping hole in his back. The stench was horrible, smelling like rotting flesh, eggs, and trash all rolled into one. Claire looked up and saw her friends whistling and clapping.

She bowed and said, "It was nothng."

Sheila smiled as Claire ran into the cell and flipped the switch. She was alive! For a minute there, she thought her hero was dead meat, but she pulled through. Man! Capcom really needs to make another game with her in it!

Ashley looked at the Ganadore down stairs and shuddered. Sheila didn't blame her. Those things were pests! She really hoped Leon would buy a rocket launcher for when he has to face two of these things! Thoughts of the future melted away as the door clicked as Claire unlocked it. She ran out to greet them, the smile on her face fading as her blue eyes widened at the sight behind them. They turned to see three Ganados, chuckling as they inched closer.

"Don't I get a break!" Claire griped out loud as she shot the lamp that was over their heads.

It fell with a burst, causing their robes to spark and catch on fire. The monks screamed and began running into each other. Chris, Leon and Cllaire began pumping them full of lead with absaloutly no mercy. Two died, the other one... well.. This is really gross to me... But cool!

His mouth tore open, leaving a saggy, empty, head uselessly hanging as the parasite emerged. The creature evolved into a big, brownish, saliva dripping, centipede thingy. Don't ask me why the centipede concept is used for these creatures. Maybe the parasite is somehow related to the evil bug. At any rate, it looked like the one on El Gigante's back, but uglier and more dangerous. The creature slowly stepped forward and stretched it's centipede body forward. It widened its jaws and tried to take Chris's head off. Chris shot it in it's mouth as it tried to have his cute head for supper. Some steamy, yellow gore blew out through it's back where the blast from the Riot gun made. It screamed and stumbled forward. Chris let out a Spartan yell and began blasting the head. It took one more shot to make it's head go Pop-Goes-The-Weasel on him, but he kept shooting it's twitching body till it melted away.

Claire and Sheila put a hand on each shoulder, looking a bit worried for his sanity. He gave them a small, reassuring smile and said as he reloaded his Riot gun, "Too many times some bizare thing of evil tried to chop or bite my head off."

Leon reloaded his black-tail and said with a authoritative tone, "Let's keep moving."

Sheila and Ashley followed slowly behind the group. They heared Leon cry out when they reached the corner, "Back up! Dynamite!"

Sheila calmly walked over to one of the chairs and began humming. This was going to take a bit of time, so she might as well rest her feet. Ashley paced in front of her, rubbing her arms and mumbling about monks and stuff. The teen ignored her as she listened to Chris curse as a bolt from a cross bow nearly nailed him. She smiled and began thinking about that merchant.

Ashley noticed the thoughtful and serene look on her face and said rather impatiently, "Why are you so calm! And what can make you so thoughtful when Leon and the other two are fighting these crazy, religious zeolats!"

Sheila just looked up and brought out her Punisher. Ashley gulped as the younger girl started talking while twirling the gun on one finger, "I'm calm because I know those three can handle it. And what I'm thinking about is... Well, I'm thinking of ways how our friend the merchant gets around to places before we do."

The gunfire ceased, letting the two girls know that the gun fight was over.

Claire came back to the girls and said while favoring her right side, "Let's go ladies. All clear."

"Not yet, Claire. Let me take a look at your ribs," Chris said sternly, walking up to the three as Leon picked up some items that was on the chair nearby.

Claire started to protest, but Leon stopped her and said while pulling out a green herb, "Come on, Claire. You've been knocked around by a gladiator creep with claws that would make Wolverine jealous. Take off your shirt."

Claire looked horrified for a split second. She didn't expect to undress in front of Leon! Gulp! She nodded her head and with the help with Chris, getting the tactical shirt off.

Chris said sternly at the staring Leon as he inspected his sister's ribs, "Stop staring, Kennedy. Turn around."

Leon turned around like a gentleman and slowly smiled.

_Heh! Claire took off her shirt... Stop Leon! Now is not the time for any... errrr... distracting thoughts. Think about something else_!

Sheila whacked Leon beside the head, knowing what the male mind wanders to during such moments. He gave her a dirty look while rubbing the back of his head. How she reached the back of his head while being so short was beyond him.

Sheila meanwhile watched as Chris tended to his sister. She had a badly cracked rib, like the other two did now. Her skin was already turning purple and blue, developing a nasty bruise where the fractured rib was. Chris took out the wrap and began to firmly braced the injury, making Claire let out a small gasp. Sheila decided to break this tense silence and bring up with a theory that popped into her head.

"I thought up a cool therory about the merchant."

Claire smiled and said through clenched teeth as her brother continued to wrap her up, "Really? Spill it."

"Theory number one, he has a super advanced, special bicycle that helps him to fly through the air like E.T.. That is how he gets from place to place so fast and unseen. By flying."

Chris chuckled as Leon snorted.

Sheila said defensively, "What? You guys haven't thought up a single one. Mine is creative and possible."

Leon replied while keeping his back turned to them, "Great imagination, but I highly doubt it. You want theories, you got them. He has all kinds of tunnels which leads everywhere. After all, this is a old town and castle, they probably got tons of secret passage ways that's never been discovered."

Sheila rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Sure, Leon. You stay in your perfect little world with your rules and logical thinking. As for me, I tend to think outside the box," Sheila said while giving the Redfield siblings a smile as Chris finished up.

After helping putting her shirt back on, Chris grabbed the herb from Leon and made her eat it. She perked up and stopped walking with a pain expression. Although she was still a little stiff, she walked with a more of her old self in her strut.

Claire asked Chris as she followed beside Sheila back down where they found the key, "So. What's your theory?"

Chris smiled and replied as Leon gave him an "Please don't" look, "Well. My theory is that he is really someone else. It's not just the merchant who sold the stuff to us in the beginning. Actually, the merchant is sextuplets!"

Everyone groaned as Chris took offense, "Hey, it is possible. People do have a half of dozen kids in one birth. I saw it on the news and 'Guinness Book Of World Records'. That's how he gets around so fast. One brother goes here, the other goes there. Makes the most sense to me."

"Well, at least you have more of a open mind than Leon," Sheila said while giving Leon a look of mock pity.

He scowled and retorted, "Whatever. You two are too much alike in some ways... I still think my theory is the more logical and the right one."

Before the two could argue, Ashley spoke up as Claire opened the door to the next room, "Will you people stop it! This is the stupidest conversation I ever heard. Shouldn't we concentrate on getting out of here?"

The three theorists stared at one another and then looked at her with blank stares.

"What about clones?" Sheila asked the other two while ignoring Ashley. Leon and Chris thought about it, scratching their chins.

"Hmmmm. It's possible." Chris responded, while Leon nodded his head in agreement. Ashley rolled her eyes and shook her head as they entered the next room.

"Why are you guys ignoring me. Hey! Stop talking about the merchant! Urrrrrrrrg!"

**Authors Note: Okey Dockey! Hope that wet your apetite for more! I've been really busy lately, so this chapter didn't come as fast as I hoped. Hoped you like it! Please Review! And send me more theories!**


	22. Chapter 21:Fight for Your Lives!

**Authors Note: Thanks for all the reviews you guys! I'm having a fun time writing this fic, your reviews are making this fic really worth while! I just love the theories you are donating! Well, on to the story! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Weird Al or his song, Resident Evil 4, or it's characters. I also don't own Claire or Chris, which sucks! So, do not sue! But I do own me, so ha! Now read!**

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**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 21: Fight For Your Life! **

Ashley followed the group into the next room. She stopped her grumbling after seeing what had everyone so still. They were in a large, ball size room with rectangle pools of water that reflected the light. It was beautiful in a Gothic sort of way. The room was lit by old candles, giving the room a ancient look. But that wasn't what had everyone pausing in their tracks. It was the Los Illuminados cult members. There was a monk dressed in a red robe with a hood that covered his pale face. The two that was on each side were dressed in the usual garb. They had large wooden shields, which has already caused the others trouble. But, a few blasts of the Riot gun will take care of that.

Chris cocked his gun and barked like a general giving his platoon a heroic call to arms.

"Fight for your lives!"

And that started the war. Leon ran forward and threw a grenade at the three who were steadily walking toward him. The red robed man jumped out of the way, but his companions were not so lucky. The grenade exploded, causing limbs and shrapnel to fly in the air. Good thing these idiots melt, or Sheila would have pucked at the sight.

The sounds of the secret compartments in the corners of the room shifting told a crappy story. More reinforcements. Leon ordered the girls to stick with him as Claire and Chris took the different isles. Claire took the middle, Chris took the right while Leon and the two girls took the left. This way, they won't be herded around like cattle by the enemy. Gun fire echoed across the long hall while the monks chanted the same phrase in Spanish. It seemed like it would never end for the heroes. Ganado after Ganado appeared at all sides, slowly gaining ground. Chris, who was getting ticked off, and gave in to his temper by bringing out his Killer 7. He began blasting cult members left and right. One delivered shot killed any parasites that emerged.

Claire was using her trusty Uzies for the job. Once in a while a grenade was needed. With the combination of the guns and grenades, Claire was soon gaining the upper hand as the enemies decreased after five minutes of fighting. Soon, They could at least breath without being hounded by a Ganado. But a urgency was still in the air. They could hear an monotone chanting filling echoeing all around them, causing Sheila to pray soundly. To her, it sounded like an evil chant. One of the Spanish words she heard chanted was die. Die something. Not a good sign of things to come.

Her heart dropped when Leon led them down to the Blue room. She hated this room. In the game, it seemed to take forever for the Ganados to come and try to kill her. She hated waiting for their slow butts to get in gear. The teen wandered if the same thing will happen here, waiting on one or two Ganados at a time to jump through that blasted hole in the roof, or for a stupid monk to get burst through the door, only to find an end by the Riot gun or a grenade.

"Okay, I guess we have to stand on the two big square pedestals to get that stairs to come down," Leon theorised as he stepped on the right pedestal. Ashley followed him while Sheila followed Chris and Claire. Of course their was a sound in the hall, but it wasn't the stairs as any Res Evil 4 player will tell you. It was that crank that Ashley has to turn while Leon shot the snipers.

A monk jumped through the hole as another with a spiked shield burst through the door. They chuckled as the weaponless one charged Leon with his hands opened wide while the shielded one shuffled as fast as he could toward Chris and his girls. He raised his Killer 7 and aimed where the head would be. He fired once, blowing the head away, leaving brain matter and gore decorating the rug. Meanwhile, Leon shot the man in the knee caps, forcing the Ganado to stumble and kneel before him. Leon put his hands under the monks armpits and lifted up, doing a suplex. Sheila watched in awe and disgust as the man's head smashed like a melon as Leon performed the wresting move.

Ashley didn't seem to appreciated Leon doing that in front of her, but she didn't complain. Leon aimed at the next monk as it landed on the ground. He began firing with his Blacktail, causing that caterpiller/centipede parasite to show its ugly head. Its jaws snapped hungrily as it slowly came forwared, looking at the agent hungrily. Claire opened fire as well as Chris, destroying the parasite. It didn't have a chance.

**R**

Salazar was alone, which was a rare occurrence since he has his weird creature posse where ever he went. His plans were going as swimmingly. Of course the agent and his pathetic friends were still alive, but soon that will change. They just couldn't win, nobody survives this castle. Soon, he'll have the girls and the agent's head for a trophy. The other two, well, he'll have them tortured in order to find out who they work for. Well, just the girl. That ignorant nave will pay a horrible death for what he said about his size!

Salazar's mood began to change into a sour one. He needed a pick me up song. He grabbed his portable CD player and put on his head phones. The parasite in him seemed to love this CD. So did he, although he would never listen to it in front of the others. He smiled as his favorite song came on. Then, he began to dance and sing and rap along with the song. Here's a verse or two:

"They see me mooowing.. My front laawn. I know they're all thinking I'm so white and nerdy."

"Think I'm just too white and nerdy! Think I'm just too white and nerdy! Can't ya see I'm white and nerdy! Look at me I'm white and nerdy!"

"I wanna roll... with the gangstas. But so far they think I'm too white and nerdy!"

"Think I'm just too white and nerdy! Think I'm just to white and nerdy! I'm just too white and nerdy. Really, really white and nerdy!"

At this point Ramon broke into a fast rap and began dancing like those guys on the music videos. The gangsta ones. He did it very badly. As he tried to keep up with he rapping, his two body guards showed up unexpectedly. This is what they saw with horror filled insect or human eyes!... Freaks. I can't stand those two!

"First in my class here at the M.I.T. Got skills, I'm a champion at D&D. M.C. Escher, that's my favorite M.C. Keep your 40, I'll just have an Earl Grey Tea."

**Some where out there, Weird Al is making a sandwich**

Al drops his knife and stares into space, seriously freaked out. A friend looks at his horror filled eyes, noticing how glazed they were and how his lower lip trembled.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just have this freaky vision hit me. A small, grey haired, weird eyed Spanish dude is singing my song, White and Nerdy... And he's trying to rap and... and... HE'S RUINING IT! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

**Back to Salazar**

Ramon Salazar was really getting into it until he turned around, his hands held up in a gangsta pose. He saw his two trusted body guards, staring at him with a freaked out expression. (Well, you can't really tell since they look like insect/predator face aliens.)

Ramon turned off his CD and took off his headphones. After five minutes of an uncomfortable silence, Salazar cleared his throat and spoke in his authoritative tone, "What is it?"

The one dressed in red stepped forwared, handing over a nte. Salazar snatched the note and began reading. He crumbled the note and threw it in the waste basket.

"So what if they killed the Ganadore. It only delays their pending death. Sooner or later, they'll fall into one of my traps. Now, don't bother me anymore with petty things. I'm trying to unwind... AND DON'T TELL ANYONE OF WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN!"

(Thanks to Silver Horror for the cool idea!)

**R**

"Okay, Ashley, you need to work the crank while we kill the snipers," ordered Leon as a bolt came whizzing past his head.

After defeating as many Ganados as possible, they had ran up to the crank when Chris noticed two snipers up above. After shooting and causing them to duck, Leon gave the order to Ashley.

She did not look happy about it and said in a fearful voice, "Are you crazy? No way!"

"I'll do it, Leon!" Sheila cried out with a bit of panic in her own voice. She knew that Ashley was way too scared to complete this task, which sucked for Sheila.

Sheila grabbed the crank and began working on lowering the stairs. She felt arrows whiz past her head, almost causing her to stop and run away. But she didn't, and kept her eyes closed as she pushed faster and faster.

Leon fired at the sniper to the left while Claire and Chris fired at the guy in the right balcony. Chris had put up his Killer 7 and brought out his Black-tail, ready to kill the stupid monk. As the sniper that Claire and Chris fired out dodged and crouched, making it harder for them to kill him, Leon's was not that smart. The agent fired first at his right arm, his left lung, his groin (That caused a lot of blood loss and screaming), and finally, right between the eyes. The man fell and melted away.

Meanwhile, Chris and Claire got in a few lucky shots, which didn't seem to really do much damage. Having enough of this monk's shenanigans, Chris backed up and tried out a different angle. He raised his gun and aimed at the monk's butt. He fired, causing the Ganado to scream and hop up, holding the bloody right butt cheek. This gave Claire the opportunity to end the creeps agony and finish him off.

The stairs finally came down, but their relief was short lived. Four monks were waiting for them, yielding reaper weapons. They charged, screaming as two threw their weapons at the stunned group. Leon took out an grenade and pulled the pen.

He urgently ordered as he dogded one flying blade as Claire and Sheila ducked from the other, then chucking the grenade, "Everybody back!"

They heeded his warning and ran back just as the grenade exploded. The explosion sent the four monks flying, killing two but only causing minimal damage to the other two who were a bit behind. Chris ran forward and began shooting one monk who was laying awkwardly on the stairs. The head exploded, revealing yet another centipede parasite. Oh joy. Chris grunted and took out his fire grenade and dropped it into it's hungry mouth. He flipped back as the fire grenade released it's flames, causing the whole body of the parasite to burn from the inside out. The flames died away, and left a half melted, half alive parasite.

Leon meanwhile was busy kicking and shooting the monk on the ground, a few feet from it's fellow comrade. Claire had stepped up and helped him shoot the pest. The Ganado tried to get up, but two humans kicking and shooting him, well, that was just a recipe for his death. He soon let out a dying cry and died. Satisfied, Leon looked over at the half melted parasite. The smell and the sight was disgusting. The creature kept trying to get up, but it's nerve endings wouldn't allow it's pathetic human body to move. Chris took out his Riot gun and decided to deliver it from it's agony. A too kind of a act for this monster. It took one shot. Guts and gore splattered the red carpet, along with Chris's shoes.

Sheila and Ashley walked up to Chris, who seemed for the moment lost in his own world. Chris felt their presence and shook himself out of his thoughts.

"You okay, Chris?" Sheila asked concerned. Chris tried to give her a smile, but failed.

"Yeah, just tired. Come on," he said quietly.

The group entered further into the Hall. Leon noticed the door across the water. No bridge or anything was there to help them get across. He turned as Claire pointed up at the ledges at the cranks.

"Up there. There probably our only way out," commented Claire. Ashley ran to the one to the left while Sheila ran over to the one to the right.

"Some one give me and Ashley a lift," Sheila ordered as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Leon ran to Sheila while Chris went to help Ashley. The President's daughter seemed a bit disappointed that Leon didn't come to help her. She cast Sheila a glare. In response, the teen placed her hand on her gun, causing Ashley to turn around and step on top of Chris.

Sheila turned and warned Leon that she might be a bit heavy. The agent smiled and bent over so she could get on his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it. I'm strong. Besides, you aren't that heavy," Leon reassured her.

Sheila rolled her eyes and replied, "You have been warned."

She stepped on top of his shoulders and almost lost her balance as Leon stood up.

"Be careful," grunted Leon. He held her feet as she tried to reach the ledge. She almost let out a scream of frustration as she failed to reach the ledge. Her height yet again an issue.

"I'm too short," Sheila said in despair.

Leon let out a sigh as he retorted, "Try harder!"

Sheila was tempted to kick him in the head.

_What part of 'I'm too short,' does he not comprehend? _

"I can't, you Dodo!"

"Well, hop."

Sheila held her breath and hopped up, grabbing the ledge with one hand. She reached up with the other hand and heard Ashley in the distance, saying, "Look out for me!"

Darn it! She beat her to the punch! This gave Sheila the strength to pull herself up, using her feet to help. She stood up shakily and gave Leon a thumbs up.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm looking out for ya."

Sheila ran over to the crank and began laboring once again on a stupid crank. She heard gunfire as Leon and Chris used their rifles to keep the monks at bay. Claire meanwhile kept the monks on the ground from interrupting the two snipers. But soon, more Ganados than the game ever allowed showed up to attack the three. Sheila felt her heart pumping really loud, just like the game. She could hear every step that the Ganados behind her took. Refusing to think about the danger, she bit her lip and worked harder, her arms burning from the effort.

Sheila felt arms wrap around her as Ashley screamed from suffering the same fate as her.

"Leon, help me," screamed Ashley as she was being carried away. Poor Leon and the Redfields were being attacked by a dozen Ganados.

Sheila growled and began kicking and trying to bite as she was slung over a monks shoulder. This monk began to run, unlike Ashley's. Sheila felt her gun dig into her hip as she was jostled up and down as the strong monk jogged toward the exit. Suddenly, a gunshot was fired, causing the monk to fall and drop Sheila on her face. She quickly got up and grabbed her gun, shooting the monk in the head several times. He groaned and died, causing Sheila to pause, and gaze as his corpse melted away.

She couldn't believe it. She killed a person... This was not like the game. You don't see what goes through the bad guys eyes as he dies. Guilt along with relief flooded her.

"Sheila! Snap out of it," shouted Chris as he blew away a monk who was trying to rip away his Riot gun.

Leon cursed as he tried to fire at another monk that was tip toeing towards Sheila. Meanwhile, Chris sniped the ever so slow Ganado that had only took a few steps while holding the screaming Ashley. The monk fell and died, causing Ashley to scream even louder. She got up and ran over to the crank and continued with her work.

Sheila snapped out of her thoughts as another monk grabbed her from behind. She stomped hard on his foot and ran back to the crank. Leon sniped down the monk and got back into position to shoot any more monks that attempted to abuct the girls. They had killed all the monks on the ground, now they had to keep the girls safe as they worked. Sheila managed to finish first, and ran over to where she climbed up. She sat down and leaned over the edge, then slipped off. After her feet touched the ground, she ran over to the trio who were keeping the monks away from Ashley.

Ashley would have been done first, but she was going extra slow since facing that monk up close. She was in a shocked stated, which was not a good thing.

Sheila ran up to the ledge with the others and hollered, "Come on, Ashley. You can do it! Snap out of it!"

Ashley heard Sheila's encouraging voice and began working faster. Finally, she was done. She ran over and called out, even though they were right there.

"Leon! Help me down!"

Leon opened his arms and caught the frightened young woman and set her down.

"Come on, let's go!" Leon ordered as he led Ashley over to the two slabs that was used for the way across.

Ashley hopped across to the first slab unsteadily, whimpering. As Sheila waited her turn, Chris put his hand on her shoulder and asked the same thing she asked him.

"Are you okay?"

Sheila looked up and shook her head.

"I.. I... I killed someone," she said with tears in her voice.

Chris frowned and allowed her to go before him. As she readied herself to jump across the next slab, Chris spoke in a sad tone, "I know that it comes as a shock, using a weapon on another person. But that person was not the same man he used to be. He's infected and controlled by that parasite. He worships that thing, and clearly no longer human. You can't feel guilty for defending yourself. It's killed or be kidnapped and used for an ugly scheme."

Sheila jumped across the slab and made it to the ledge where they will go through the door and leave this horrible scene.

"It still feels like I murdered someone. After all, I'm infected. You guys are going to have to kill me if we don't find a cure soon," Sheila said with a heavy heart. Chris jumped across and made her look at him.

"Now you listen. We are going to find a cure. We will not shoot you no matter what," Chris said sternly. Sheila tried to look away, but he wouldn't let her.

"You are different than them! They kill for pleasure and for their d-mn god, Saddler! You, you killed in self defense. Yes, this will not leave your mind for awhile, but you will get through this," Chris said in a more soothing voice at the end of his short speech. Sheila looked up with a lighter look in her eyes. She knew he was right. She'll have to pray her way through this. The teen gasped tearfully as she hugged the older man tightly. Chris smiled and hugged her back.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this. To lose your innocence, your view of the world in general. It's hard. That's why you have me, Claire, and Leon to be here for you," Chris said while rubbing her back. Sheila slowly released him and smiled.

"Okay, can we go now," Ashley asked impatiently. Claire smacked her in the back of her head, causing Ashley to cry out in a shocked voice.

"You want to hear another theory," Chris asked with a small smile. Sheila grinned and nodded her head.

"Okay, he's a result of shadow clone transformations."

"Wow! I got one even better. He met up with Triple H at a wrestling match, and asked for way too much cash for a chair in the audience. Triple H got mad since he was screwing up the match, so he grabbed a sledge hammer that was meant for another wrestler for a future match and whacked him beside the head. This rattled the part of our brains that we don't use and wham-mo! Super speed Merchant!" Sheila said with a crazy grin.

Chris's eyes grew huge with awe as Leon and Claire gave them funny looks. Ashley was covering her ears and singing, "Lalalallala! I can't hear you!"

Managing to stop herself from laughing, Claire spoke up. "I got a theory."

Everyone stared and waited for her theory... Accept Ashley seance she was clearly disgusted with the whole discussion.

"He met Taki and kept passing out from massive nosebleeds and had to learn to teliport."

Sheila got a confused but thoughtful look on her face. She wasn't exactly sure who Taki was, but she did read some fanfic on that character once... It was quite funny!

"I love that one!" Sheila said as Chris smiled at his sister.

Looks like diverting her attention from the situation at hand worked. Although they both meant what they said on their theories... Hey, it could happen! Well, in their world.

Sheila began walking to the door with the group, giving another theory.

"He met the scissors man from clock tower three and got so freaked out at how stupid he looked and learned how to fly!"

Chris laughed at that one while Leon murmured about who the scissor man was.

"Well, what about the blue flames on the torches? Maybe, they're a teliportation device that teliports him where ever his torches are at. That would explain why he has all those funky, blue flames," Leon commented with a very serious expression. Everyone stopped and gave him a funny look.

"What," Leon asked with a nervous glance at everyone.

"You. You actually gave a crazy theory. I salute you, Leon!" Sheila said with pride.

"But that was not crazy! That was a very realistic and possible theory," Leon said with a defensive tone. Sheila and Chris smiled and patted him on the back.

"Yeah, it was. But still, it took some imagination to think up that cool theory," Sheila said while looking up at her hero. Leon finally smiled, and opened the door.

"Well, yeah, it did. But it's still the most logical and possible choice out of all of your theories," he said with pride.

"No way! Ours is just as possible, Leon S. Kennedy!" Sheila argued. Yep, as you all know, they argued over who's theory was the best one. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Dun! Dun! Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

**Authors Note: Okey Dockey! I know this chapter had weird and serious conversations, but hey. I'm a random person! Hope you guys enjoyed it! I would like to thank Lady Tatum and vamp-haruka for the awsome theories! Keep sending your theories everyone!**

**Here's another challenge for you peebles! Should I get captured with Ashley in this next chapter, or face the bug creeps with the others? Please vote! **


	23. Chapter 22:Traps,Theories and Novistador

R**Authors Note: Hey you peeps! Thanks for all the reviews and votes! Wow! Did you guys know I'm up to fifty-eight reviews! Cool! Okay, This chapter was a tough decision. I got votes for both. And both sides make a compelling argument. Sooo, I decided to go with the highest amount of votes. And to maybe please both sides I'll... Heh. You'll find out in the next chapter or two... To get captured, or not to get captured...That is the crazy question... Read and find out!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 22: Traps, Theories, and Novistadors...**

The group looked around in awe and non-admiration. The room was large and spacious, well designed. But it had a sadistic flare to it. Well, maybe not sadistic; more of a weird, sad mind behind the decorating. If you played the game, you will notice that their is large statues of women... HANGING UPSIDE DOWN! They had a roman era look, cracked in places with age. Sheila just felt creep-ed out by those statues as she walked underneath them, their eyes seemingly watching her where ever she went. One of those stone peepers of course had a spinal in the eye. Leon shot it, and gave it to Sheila, telling her that she's running low on funds. Sheila smiled and thanked the thoughtful agent.

As they neared the hall, Sheila suggested that they visit the merchant first. They agreed, but Ashley's timing was off. Well, her plaga's timing was off. She began coughing, sounding like she was coughing up a lung. But of course she wasn't, it was just blood. Eeew...

Leon put a hand on her shoulder, asking with concern, "You alright?"

Ashley didn't answer, gazing at her hands that were covered with ruby, red blood. Her mind began to race at the sight.

She forcibly shook Leon's hand off her shoulder, saying in a scared voice as she ran, "Get away from me!"

"Ashley, wait!"

Now this is when certain choices can effect every one around her. To follow and stay with Ashley till Leon and the others come for them was one option that involved several things that was dangerous and , she would be facing those armor wearing creeps with Ashley... With Ashley... With Ashley.. Evil thoughts about things she could do to Ashley wrapped itself around her mind like a soft, comforting blanket... The comforting part ended as the teen realized that she might end up shooting the blond, which would be plain out evil. Then there's not pursuing Ashley, and facing those Novistadors with the gang... Big creepy bug people... That pukes acid... And face the swinging blades... And Ganados... AND THE STUPID GARDEN! Wow, this is a big decision for Sheila...

Sheila watched as everything went in slow motion for her. Her feet started to move to go get Ashley, to prevent her from going. To take her place sounded logical, which was not very logical if you ask me. Willingly play victim is never a smart decision. But the red head was one who at times, could make lousy decisions during a heated moment.

Sheila ran faster, but was too late. The bars went up, causing Ashley to yelp. She backed away, causing another set of bars to pop up, nearly impaling her. She turned and ran till she reached the wall. Ashley slowly turned around, panting and slightly coughing. There was no saving the girl at the moment. The teen watched with a nonchalant look as three, thick, metal bars slid out and around the blond, trapping the frightened girl.

She cried out as Leon let out a desperate yell, "Ashley!"

"Leon! What's going on?" Ashley cried as the wall flipped around, taking her from everyones view.

"Don't worry Ashley, I'm coming for you," Leon promised vehemently as the wall completed it's turn. The bars blocking their way slid back down into the floor, allowing the disturbed agent, Chris, and Claire to run to the back. The three frantically searched to find a button or something. They found nothing to help them.

"Ashley! Can you hear us," Claire cried out as she pounded her fists against the wall. She strained to hear a sign of Ashley's voice; but her voice sounded very far away. Leon cursed as Chris put a comforting hand on the agent's shoulder.

Leon looked at the wall and said with a determined voice, "Don't worry Ashley, I'm going to find you."

Meanwhile, Sheila slowly stood by the merchant, who was busy with his backpack.

"Don't worry, lass. She'll be fine. Those three will find her," the merchant's voice spoke in a surprisingly low, soft voice.

Sheila looked at him and gave a sad smile. She felt afraid for the older girl. This wasn't just a game anymore, this was a weird, but very real reality. People do get hurt. Her body ached from all the bumps and scratches she received, proving that this was never a dream. It was all too real.

Sheila sadly wandered if the whiny, blond would make it. She had to admit, Ashley did have some brains. But still, she wasn't used to fending for herself. She saw that much in the game and in this reality.

Sheila watched as Leon, Chris, and Claire come out of the hall, slowly walking toward her and the merchant. Leon looked tired, but more determined than ever. Suddenly, his radio beeped, giving everyone some hope... Not Sheila, though. She knew who was calling... The little Cretan.

Leon flipped the radio open, looking at the screens. His picture was clear, but Hunnigan's was snowy and squiggly.

Leon: _Hunnigan, what happened? The transmission got cut off._

Guess Who: _Heheheheheheheheheheheee! _(The picture cleared and revealed a smug Salazar.)

Leon: _Salazar. How'd ya-_

Salazar: _We jacked the didn't want you telling everyone any unnecessary information._

Leon: _Where's Ashley?_

Salazar: _Aww. So she fell in one of our wonderful traps. We'll make sure we'll find her, don't you worry about her... Oh, yes. I let our miserable insects out for some exercise down in the sewer._

Leon: _Thanks. That should keep me company, cause boredom kills me._

Salazar: _I look forward to our next encounter... In another life._

The transmission ended. Claire watched as Leon put away his radio. The expression on his face said it all. Her heart went out to Ashley, knowing how scared the twenty year old is. She only hoped that they would reach her in time before the Ganados did.

"What do you got, Merchant," Leon asked as he checked his own inventory.

The merchant showed that he got some new parts for some of Leon's guns. After a bit of haggling and exchanging money and such, the agent was ready for some bug people. He and the other two started walking toward the door in the hall, ready to save Ashley. Sheila, on the hand, was asking the merchant a very important question.

"So, do you got a shooting range or something? I really need the practice."

"It's a work in progress, lass. It won't be ready for a while, but when it is, I'll let you know."

Sheila gave a small smile and quickly cached up with the others. Chris motioned for her to bring out her gun.

"Just in case we miss one. You never know what can happen with these strange experiments," Chris said with a grim expression.

Not that he couldn't protect her, it's just he had experience with creatures in sewers and such. You can never be too careful. He watched as Sheila brought out her Punisher. She smiled up at him and gave the thumbs up sign. He could tell she was nervous and scared. Heh. So was he, but that was normal considering what they saw so far.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Leon said as he opened the door.

He could feel the damp air as he walked inside. The smell was extremely unpleasant. You'd think he would be used to that sewer smell after trudging through sewers in a zombie infested town, but he wasn't. He quickly put the riot gun over his shoulder and jumped down, not even bothering with the ladder. Chris did the same as Claire slid down the ladder, since her sprang ankle was still sore and healing from the herbs. Sheila didn't do any of those things. She did it the proper way, due to the height.

Before they went any further, Sheila asked Leon if he could take out his Sniper rifle. She told him it would be to their advantage if they could snipe those Novistadors a ways back. He gave her a surprised expression, wandering why he didn't think of that. So, our hero brought out his rifle while Chris kept his Riot gun out. That way, if any escaped and ran toward them, he could keep them at bay. Sheila smiled as the two led the way down the narrow sewer. Her and Claire were safe behind them, although she could tell that Claire would rather be up front where all the action will be.

As they ran down the narrow sewer, they heard a big splash, and then the sound of something running through water. Sheila felt her heart tempo speed up, knowing what made that sound. But, they cold avoid that, which is good. Facing a Novistador in real life was not on her to do list. She looked over at Claire as they walked around the corner. The older woman had that shot gun that Ada had in the Separate ways game. She hoped that it worked against these creepy creatures. Which made her wonder, how did she get that gun? And where can she get one?

Claire noticed Sheila's gaze on her gun. The look on her face showed recognition, which is impossible since this was Ada's gun. She was going to say something when Leon and Chris suddenly stopped. She peered around Chris and saw nothing. What could male them stop so suddenly?

Chris put a finger to his lips as Leon raised his rifle, looking through the scope. At first, you wouldn't notice it. But, if you stop and look long enough, you can make out a foggy puff of air coming from the stony roof. And, a slight slobbery substance, dripping from that area. This is what caught Chris's and Leon's keen eyes.

_Bingo. Got you right in my sights._

His hands shook slightly as he aimed at what could be possibly be the head. He squeezed the trigger, the gun kicking into his strong shoulder. They heard a scream as the creature fell to the floor. It suddenly reached it's hand in a dramatic gesture, as if trying to grab some invisible hand. The large hole in the middle of it's glowing green eyes was oozing yellow liquid heavily. It sputtered, then fully collapsed. Before they could take one step, it disintegrated.

As they started to walk toward the next corner, Leon held up his hand, seeing another one. This one seemed more on guard since it's partner just died. Although it still was invisible, Leon could hear and see it's icy breath. He raised his rifle and took aim. He fired, shooting this one in the head also. It's body fell to the ground, it's legs kicking in the air. It gagged and began to spasm, gore spilling all over the ground. The strange thing died in a more buggy way. It's body appeared but soon disintegrated. They continued, but in a more slower pace.

As they walked around the empty pool like place, they heard that light breathing of their enemies. Sheila shivered as they stood next to the light, catching a perfect view of the invisible Novistars and the their foggy breathes of air. Leon raised his gun and waited. He could now make out an outline of the creatures, their skin flashing into view for a split second. There was two of them. He aimed at the right one, it's eyes glowing blue for a second. He aimed, his heart taking a less nervous beet. His training being put to use. He pulled the trigger. Yellow and red blood burst from it's head, causing it to appear inot view with a scream. It laid down without a fight, turning into the usual goo.

It's partner jumped up, reappearing for a split second. Leon fired, but missed the head. His bullet found it's stomach, ripping through it like a knife through butter. The creature screamed in pain as it fell flat on it's back. It's ugly grey shell shining in the dim light. Leon fired again, this time, the bullet pierced it's neck. It gargled yellows slime, rolling around as it attempted to flee. Chris jumped down and fired again, blowing it's slender abdomen apart. It's eyes blue eyes dimmed to green till it's many eyes shown no more. Then it stopped moving, and melted away.

Leon joined him and said, "D-mn, that's one ugly over grown beetle... Or grasshopper, mixed with possibly human... stuff. Either way, it's ugly."

"Couldn't have agreed with you more, agent-man," Chris said as they neared the door. Sheila and Claire jumped down and followed suit.

**R**

Wesker walked down the white, hospital like hall. He had a another hot cup of coffee in his hand, more for leisure then to stay awake. As he sipped his coffee, he couldn't help but smiley inwardly at what lay ahead. Of course, Ada will have to kill the agent Leon before his plans would be put into motion. Well, to be honest, he still would put his plans into action, but it would be easier if that annoying fly was put out of the picture. He'll have to remember to tell Ada to kill the agent when she has the chance... If he lives long enough in that castle.

Wesker stopped at a glass door. He opened it and walked in with his usual grace. The beautician gulped and stood back from the red haired Steve.

"So, how's my new weapon's prepping going," asked Wesker with the usual cold voice.

"G-Good sir. We just got finished with his hair cut and shave. We made it look just like the picture, sir," said the nervous female beautician.

Wesker set his coffee down on the sink and stood in place as the beautician turned the chair, showing her handy work. Perfect. He looked just like the way he did when he found him... Except more mature looking. He lost that teen, lean look, which was fine. In a way, he preferred this older version of Steve. It would hurt little Claire Redfield knowing that the teen and grown up in his care. The only thing the same was the same hair cut he had ordered when the boy had first met Claire, just to play with her mind a bit more. A little reminder of the teen she knew, and failed.

"Hmmm. Good job. That's the Steve she knew and mourned for... And will know again," Wesker said as he got down to eye level with the young man before him.

He noticed that his skin was almost back to it's original human tone. The green was almost completely gone. That was good. This helped him to blend in more, and not to stand out so much.

"Welcome back, Steve. You are going to have a little reunion with someone special. And when you meet her, you'll kill her."

Steve's emotionless eyes barely recognized the older man's presence. They just looked dead ahead, ready for his orders.

Wesker smiled and said over his shoulder as he walked away, "Send him back to Heath. Tell him to get our young ward to get some sleep. He'll need it for tomorrow."

**R**

Chris slowly opened the door, and walked inside while gripping his gun harder. He slowly walked inside the room, trying to catch a glimpse of the bug people. Leon stepped in from behind and motioned for the girls to go the wall. They obeyed, but gave Leon a glare as thy did. Actually, Claire did. Sheila happily obeyed.

Leon and Chris slowly approached the hole in the ceiling. Sheila gripped her gun tightly, waiting for that bug scream she knew so well from the game. It came, and so did the Novistadors. One fell down to the ground as another jumped out from the broken hall to the left. The green eyes turned red as they approached quickly. Chris fired at one that was leaping in the air, eager to shred him to pieces. Leon had switched to his Riot gun and was firing at the other, which it easily dodged.

It flew up to the ceiling and began climbing quickly toward the girls. Leon cursed as he began shooting at the quick creature. Claire and Sheila raised their guns and began firing, angering the Novistador. It fell to the ground and quickly jumped back up, it's invisible body rippled as it snapped it's jaws at the girls. They didn't let up as Leon ran up joined in the attack of the insect. It screamed and began swiping at Leon and then at the girls. Glowing red eyes dimmed as it finally collapsed and died. Leon whipped around, seeing Chris firing but missing the other miserable creature.

"Come on! Get your insect a-s down here so I can introduce you to my friend, the Riot gun!" Chris yelled in frustration.

Suddenly, it appeared in front of him and jumped up, kicking him in the chest. Chris fell down and skidded across the floor. He gritted his teeth as he jumped back up, his chest feeling like someone just shot him in his bullet proof vest. The creature was now flying in the air, the sound of it's translucent wings flapping had the Redfield nervously looking up in the air. Sensing and hearing the thing flying toward him, his aimed as his finger began to squeeze the trigger. The Novistador screetched as it fell down from the air, Leon standing behind it with his smoking gun. It jerked around, spitting up yellow goo before finally disintegrating right before their eyes.

"Hey! That one was mine," Chris growled at the smiling agent.

Leon shrugged and walked up to Chris with his usual smirk. He opened his mouth to egg on the annoyed ex-STARS member, but paused when one of the prison cells doors burst opened. It was their only warning of yet another buggy presence in the room. They looked to their left, where the cell door was busted through. Suddenly, a bug jumped on top of Leon, opening it's jaws as it prepared to release it's acid. Chris jumped back and fired, saving Leon from his acid bath.

Leon wiped the yellow goo from his face, giving Chris an evil glare. As the creature raised it's arm dramatically, Chris gave Leon this response, "Heh. We're even now, Kennedy."

"I think that's all of them, for now," Sheila's shaky voice said from behind them. Claire was hugging the shivering girl, murmuring comforting words as she gave the guy's a sad look.

"Is she o.k.?" Chris asked with a worried voice. Claire nodded as Sheila pulled away.

"I'm fine. Just a little shaky," Sheila said with a grim expression.

"We'll get out of here in one piece. Trust me," Leon said as he gave her a smile.

Sheila somewhat smiled back and followed the group as they checked out the cells. One door they kicked open, the rest were too rusty to budge. So, they checked out the two cells that were opened to them. They found one grenade and some research papers. Luis's research in fact, which of course didn't surprise Sheila. Leon shook his head and put the information in his notebook.

"Figures," Leon said after putting away the notes.

The word scientist did actually fit him better than ex-cop. They walked out and walked down the crumbling hall. After navigating their way to the metal door, Sheila could have sworn she heard the faint sound of Novistadors feet in the distance.

Chris opened the door and walked in, looking around the small room. It was empty and safe. He looked around, smashing the crates as Leon turned the water valve. Smiling, Chris revealed to the others what he found in one of the crates. A beautiful butterfly lamp. Of course, since this is a real life version of the game, the jewels were already set in place. Claire let out a sound of admiration.

The older sibling on the other hand, had this to say, "This should fetch a good price."

Claire sighed agreed, though inwardly wishing she found it first. It would look perfect in her living-room.

"Uuum, I got another theory," Sheila said out of the blue.

Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. She was of course stalling. She wasn't in the mood to get chased by stupid bugs. So, she started with one of her strange theories.

"Okay, how's this one. Jazz master Saddler is trying to have his way with the merchant. Sooo, he learned teliportation Jetsu karate to avoid from being turned into a flower child!... Well?"

Leon shook his head while Claire stared with a "Are you kidding me!" look.

Chris chuckled a bit and said, "You can be sick at times."

Sheila stuck her tongue out at him and said, "O.k. You give me a theory, Chuckles."

"Alright. You know that clock tower scissor man theory? Well, mine is that he had to get away from scissor woman cause she was picking on him. Calling him names, all that annoying stuff. So, he pulled the same stunt like he did with scissors boy."

Claire rolled her eyes and said, "I can come up with something better than that."

"Okay, Claire. Give us another one," Chris said with a smirk.

Claire grinned and gave her theory. "You know those annoying black beetles that fly around and stuff? Well, he's an Anamorphic. So, he turn's into one of those beetles and flies to the next destination. That's how we don't see him moving from place to place."

Sheila and Chris seemed to like that idea as well., Ppoor Leon wandered how this theory business got so out of control. Shaking his head, Leon walked over to the door.

"Let's go. The water's drained." Leon said quietly.

Leon slowly opened the door, giving the others the quiet signal. He put up his Riot gun and took out his rifle. Ever so slowly, he stepped out and aimed at the ceiling. He fired, getting a one shot kill. The second Novistador jumped down and charged. It leaped high in the air, but Leon dropped kicked it before it had a chance of performing a kick of its own. The creature fell on it's back, but quickly jumped back up. Claire bravely ran up to it and began firing at the head. She blew away it's antennas and other brain matter till nothing that resembled a head remained. The monster fell into it's own pool of blood, twitching as it melted into the famous puddle of goo.

"Nice," Leon said as he passed her. She grinned and followed, happy at killing some vile creature. Nothing like it.

**R**

"Ramon, have you killed the agent and the three intruders?" Saddler asked the somewhat flustered Salazar.

Salazar looked at the small screen in his radio. He hoped to have had the agent's head by now. But, the pest seemed to survive everything thrown at him, coming back like a cockroach. Of course, his little pest problem will be taken care of in the sewers after facing his Novistadors... He hoped...

"I'll take your silence as a no," came the disappointed voice of his beloved leader.

Salazar said quickly, "Don't worry, Lord Saddler. The agent and the two intruders are in the sewers with the red haired one. They were separated from Ashley. She's locked up in one of our traps."

"So, you have her."

"Uuum, not quite yet, my Lord. But, I sent some of my top men to find, errr, I mean retrieve her."

"See that you do find her. And what about the others?"

"Oh, heh. I've released those insects to give them a proper welcome."

Saddler looked a bit menacing for a second, then seemed to control himself. He said in a low, strained voice, "You mean to tell me, that you let those insects loose? They'll kill the girl!"

"No, no, no, Lord Saddler! They have been improved and take orders now. I've told them to capture the girl and kill the others," Salazar said in a some what panicky voice.

Saddler seemed to think on this, then said in his silky voice, "I hope you're right, my dear boy. If you fail again, I'm going to have to have Krauser to handle this situation... Understood?"

Salazar kept the contempt for Krauser out of his face and replied, "Yes, your Lordship. I understand completely."

END OF TRANSMISSION

**R**

"Craaap! Run!" Claire hollered as more Novistadors fell from the hole.

They ran toward the now drained pool and jumped down. Claire could hear the other two cell doors being knocked down by yet more of the invisible bug people. She ran toward the dirty stairs and ran up them, hearing the others follow her. Suddenly, she heard Sheila scream. She turned around and saw a Novistador grab the struggling girl and run in the opposite direction while it's brethren attacked the trio. Her heart leaped to her throat as she screamed with anguish, trying to follow, but the young Redfield was kicked by one of the invisible bugs.

Her back hit the ground as Chris and Leon desperately fought the swarming insects. When one was killed, another popped up. They took slashes and kicks while trying to save the screaming girl. But in the end, they couldn't.

As Sheila desperately kicked and tried to shoot the thing carrying her, the others were getting their butts kicked. The creatures just kept coming and jumping from wall to wall, dodging the bullets. The kicking and the slashing was bad, making it hard to shoot while trying to dodge their attacks.

"You stupid - Bang! - good for nothing - Bang! - flying cockroaches!" Chris yelled as he began kicking and firing away with a vengeance.

Soon, the trio began to take back ground. Insect parts flew through the air as the heroes blasted their way out. Suddenly, they were alone. They began to run back toward the entrance to the drained pool, but dozens more of Novistadors appeared, coming for them like a plague of locusts. They had no choice but to run. They quickly ran back to the stairs and through the door. The heavy door was banging from the insects behind it, but they did not enter. Me and you know they could, but they didn't bother. They had the girl.

**Authors Note: Okay, I know it's shorter but I had to stop since I have to get up early tomorrow. Next chapter will definitely have allot more action! And now, on to the thank yous to those who submitted their theories. Thank you Lady Tatum for her theories! I'll post the others in the next chapter. Thank you Misty for your cool theory! Good one! And as for Vamp-Haruka, your theory will be in a chapter or two, depending when my character gets saved. Thanks for reading this chapter! And don't forget, review!... NOW!**

**Oh! And thanks to the other reviewers for some ideas I'm going to post! The one about Ashley ripping her... Heh. Heh. I better not let the cat out of the bag yet. O.k., now review! Now, or Salazar is going to start singing White and Nerdy in that high pitched voice of his! Buah! Hahahahahahaaaaaa!**


	24. Chapter 23:A Little Payback!

**Authors Note: Hello! Welcome to another chapter in this weird tale of Resident Evil 4! I don't have to tell you about the action or gore. I think it speaks for itself! I'll like to thank everyone who has reviewed! I know I write that often, but it's true! Hehe! Okay everyone, time to start reading the story! And sorry for being past due! **

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 23: A Little Payback!**

"D-mn it!" Claire cursed as she felt despair trying to overtake her.

They lost her. Just when the teen needed her most, she failed. Claire looked at Chris with a heavy heart, hoping her big brother would say something that would comfort her. But he only put an arm around her, and held her in a sad but strong brace. She sighed while giving in to that embrace. Words couldn't take the pain away, only action would help.

Leon watched the siblings have their moment, a moment he didn't dare interrupt. He instead turned his attention to the swinging pendulums. They were large, and looked sharp enough to slice them in half without much effort. He could see the dried blood crusted on the blades, proof of failure of past adventurers. Although he would prefer to not to go through them, he knew they had to.

Chris and Claire walked over to him and studied the swinging blades of death. It definitely looked dire for them, but they had a goal, a mountain to conquer.

Chris looked over at the younger man and said, "It's this, or the herd of bugs."

Leon closed his eyes and sighed. He felt every bruise, cuts, and his broken rib. Although he wasn't in the best condition to do this, he had to try...

"There's a pattern. We should be able to cross without getting ourselves killed. That is, if we pay close attention," Leon said while opening his blue eyes, knowing that this was their only option.

Chris agreed whole heartily with him. If they were going to save both of the young women, then they had to go through this sadistic hell without delay.

Chris slowly grabbed his sister's hand and squeezed. She squeezed back, letting him know that she was ready. Taking the lead, Leon stepped forward, willingly going first. He waited patiently for the large blade to swish by. As the pendulum swung to the right, he easily but quickly crossed the path of the blade. He then concentrated on the next blade. This time, it was swinging over a gap...

"_This should be loads of fun," _Leon thought with a mental sigh.

He approached the edge slowly and waited. The blade swung quickly to the left, giving Leon an open opportunity to jump. Quickly, he leaped across and landed in one piece, much to the Redfields relief.

"Two down, Leon! Keep it up," Chris yelled in encouragement.

He watched as Leon edged closer to the last two pendulums. This time, the two blades were placed about a foot apart, making it harder for a safe crossing. Chris heard his sister saying a prayer as Leon stood there, watching the blades go in opposite directions. That just made it even more dangerous, as if the situation needed that. He watch silently on the sidelines as his friend's body tensed as he put one foot forward, ready to run across for dear life.

Chris clenched his fists as Leon then ran. It seemed to take an hour, but in reality it only took a second or two. The blades were quickly swinging down, one faster than the other. Leon was half way across. Then, the blades blocked Chris's vision. For one scary moment, Chris feared that his friend didn't make it. He felt Claire clutch his arm just as Leon ran up the steps to their relief. Chris smiled to see the agent alive and in one piece.

"Not bad, Kennedy," Chris shouted with a grin. Leon bowed and gave them a thumbs up sign. Now it was their turn.

**R**

WHAT HAPPENED TO SHEILA...

Sheila screamed as she felt insect hands grabbing her and flying away from her friends. She struggled and continued to scream with fear. This wasn't happening to her! How did she get herself into theses situations? Did she have a red arrow over her head or something? STUPID EVIL BUGS!

She watched with despair as the heroes tried to rescue her, and failed. She would have to escape on her own. As they flew out of the empty pool, she tried to squirm around with as much force as she could. Maybe she could throw the stupid thing off balance. But of course it didn't. Instead, the bug guy seemed to just get irritated with her and pinched her stomach.

"Hey! That hurt!" she cried out with surprise.

The bug just kept flying on, making her even angrier. It was at that moment she remembered the gun tucked in her pants. Maybe, if she could just wiggle her arm around and reach for it... There! Now it's time for revenge! Well, she'll wait till they reach the door. No sense killing the freak when they were still close to yet another Novistador. As they approached the door that would lead to the last half of the sewer, the creature lowered her down and let go of her waist for a second, giving her the perfect opportunity to use her gun.

Forgetting her earlier assesment on when to kill the bug, she quickly turned and fired the gun twice in the bug's face. It screamed and dropped down, clutching ione of its wounded eyes and cheek. She quickly opened the door and ran through it. She wasn't going to stick around to it getting up and getting revenge. Her screams echoed in the sewers as the door flung open behind her. She quickly attempted to run across the empty pool, but failed to escape the persistent bug.

The bug grabbed her long hair and yanked it, causing Sheila to jerk back and fall on her butt. Not done yet with its abuse, the Novistador then flew up, still holding her hair, and began dragging her the first empty pool. Sheila began screaming in pain.

"Ooooooooooooooooch! That hurts! Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww! LET GO!" Sheila screamed without hiding her pain.

She has always has been what people called, "Tender headed." Put that on top of having yourself being dragged by your hair, and you'll get a bad combination. I don't have to tell you how painful this was for her and embarrassing. She groaned as she was dragged through what water remained in that empty pool. She could smell the sewage in that water.

Anger flared inside of her, giving her the strength to raise her gun above her head and fire at the merciless bug. Bullets ripped through it's soft abdomen, and out it's shelled back. After the sixth shot, it let go of her hair and fell to the ground. Sheila took this opportunity to get up and climb the ladder. She didn't even look back as she reached the top. She began running, her head still burning from being dragged around by that bug.

She almost smiled as she ran around the corner. No bug chasing her yet. Maybe he died painfully! She pushed herself harder as she quickly approached the next corner. But to her horror, a bug jumped out of the crumbled wall and let a scream out. She screamed herself and stopped. The creature turned invisible and began running toward her, it's grunts echoing in the sewer's hall. She began firing, seeing blood appear on the creature's invisible skin. She then backed up and turned around, and began running the opposite direction.

Suddenly, a severely wounded bug appeared before her, panting heavily. Sheila raised her gun and shot it right in the middle of it's buggy head. Gore sprayed all over her once, white shirt. The creature died dramatically in front of her. But she couldn't celebrate, for the creature from behind kicked her to the ground. Sheila rolled over and gasped for breath. That kick in the back knocked the air out of her lungs, not to mention doing a number on her back. She felt blood trickle from her chin. She touched it and groaned. She had fell and hit her chin, cutting her chin badly.

The Novistador grabbed her and flew down the sewer, determined to carry out it's brethren mission. Sheila didn't fight much till they finally reached the last door. She began to really fight, raising her trusty gun and aiming at it's flapping wings. Wit barred teeth, she fired her weapon. The bullet only clipped him, but angered it none the less. It stopped and dropped her, then pucked up acid next to her head. She got the picture all too well. Besides, her gun was now empty. Wanting to reload but knowing that she could only push this thing so far, she tucked the empty gun in her pants as the sewer critter kicked open the door.

The creature grabbed her by the waist and flew out with her. She cried out as they flew really high over the statue room again, something that made her feel dizzy and unsettled. She saw the monks down below doing that bloody ritual. She shuddered as the bug flew down to the circle. Instantly, she began to squirm. She really did not want to go with them. In all honesty, she much rather take her chances with bug boy.

The wounded bug dropped her and flew off. Sheila unsteadily stood up and raised her fist at it.

"Yeah, you better run! Nobody messes with me without getting the crap beaten out of them!," Sheila shouted.

The chanting had ceased, which took her attention away from her irritation with the Novistador. She gave the monks a withering stare, trying to show how tuft she was. This of course only amused them. The leader pointed to an extra munk in the circle and spoke in rapid Spanish. She shivered as the monk bowed and reached for her.

"HEEEEEELP! I KNOW YOU'RE UP THERE! HEEEELP ME OOOOOOUUUUUT!" Sheila screamed as she was yet again slung over someones shoulder. Unfortunately for her, the merchant was in the next room upstairs.

Sheila closed her eyes in defeat. In the game, the merchant was up there, closed off by bars. You had to use the levers to get him out. She knew that would probably not stop him for at least trying to help her out. So that means he's not there.. Well, not yet. With a deep sigh of defeat, the teen began to wander if the monks were bringing her to Salazar. If they were, then she may not be rescued in time.

**R**

Leon opened the door quickly, swearing he heard Sheila shouting. But when he went through, and peered over the balcony, he saw no girl. He sighed as the chanting of multiple monks filled his ears. Slowly, he turned and began sneaking up the corridor, till he reached the chandelier. There, he saw about nine or ten monks standing around a sword. Blood dripped from some unknown flesh on the small offering table. The sword was pinned in the hunk of flesh, like it had been savagely shoved through it. Leon grimaced. This was disgusting.

Chris and Claire stood next to him, looking as equally disgusted, not really wanting to know the details of the ritual or what it was for. Now, they had to decide on how to announce their presence. Chris looked at Leon and grinned. Leon saw the look in his eyes and grinned back. Time for a little payback.

Leon silently unhooked his flash grenade and whispered a risky plan. After listening to it, Claire smiled and silently made her way to the ladder. She gave the two men the sign that she was ready. Chris positioned himself next to Leon and waited. Leon took the pin out and threw it in the middle of the oblivious Plagas followers. A big flash and a bang started the plan. Claire began to quickly climb down as the other two jumped to the chandelier. They waited till the chandelier was just far enough from the ledge to miss. They leaped and landed a few feet away from the stunned group of freaks.

Leon and Chris quickly backed away. ChPulling the pin from his grenade, the ex-STARS member quickly threw it in the middle. The explosion was so close that it was a bit disorienting, but worth it. Dying screams came from the monks as they flew back from the blast. Shrapnel embedded in there bodies, some half way decapitating them. The blood of their enemies stained the floor a dark, ruby red. Claire stood ready for any survivors.

Every monk began to melt away, except for the one in red with that ridicules goat head! Chris and Leon cursed as the monk slowly got up to his knees. But before they could shoot the crazy priest, his mid torso exploded, separating from his lower body. It was disgusting! Just like Shawn of the Dead with all that gore! They watched with a wince as the legs took two steps before falling while squirting blood everywhere. It melted away as so did the upper torso, it's organ trail melting as well.

"I love this weapon," Claire said simply while walking forward with ease. Her bow-gun held in a relaxed grip. Chris raised an eyebrow while Leon had a glazed look in his eyes.

Claire noticed and asked, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue."

She happily turned and ran back to the metal ladder, putting her lethal weapon away in her trusty pack. Leon smiled and followed suit. Somehow, Claire Redfield always kept him on his toes. When the agent reached the top, he noticed that the mirth in Claire's eyes had vanished, replaced by that sadness he seen earlier. He walked up beside her and stood there without saying anything. What could he say? He knew Claire didn't want to hear that they'll find her. She wanted action, which is what she was going to get. They'll find both girls and kick some a-s while saving them.

"I don't know about you, but I'm itching to get out of this creepy room," Chris said from behind them. Leon nodded and backed away from the banister. Time to get this show on the road.

**R**

"Where are we going?" Sheila tried asking the monk for the fifth time in the last minute.

The monk let out a growl in response. Good. She was getting somewhere.

"Okay, why are you taking me to your monk reproducer," she asked with a perky tone.

She could feel the monk tense underneath her belly. Maybe he'll put her down so she wouldn't have to be carried over his bony shoulder. But, unfortunately, he just carried her to the metal, wall reverser. The one in the game in the water hall, from about two chapters ago.

"Listen, I promise I won't kill you if you put me down," she said while crossing her fingers.

The monk let out a frustrated yell and dropped her on the hard, marble floor. She let out a hiss since she landed on her bum. Ouch! She got up while rubbing said area.

The monk quickly shoved her into the metal, narrow corner and stepped in with her. He pressed what look like a nail bolt but was really a button on the metal wall. Sheila gasped as the wall turned quickly, taking them to a different room. The room was an ordinary sized room with simple furnishings. A twin bed, an old Armour, and a dresser next to the twin bed. It was an servant's bedroom, which explains the simplicity of it.

The monk grabbed her right wrist and began dragging her to the heavy, wooden door. She really, really, really didn't want to go with him. Heck, she wanted to be at home, in her soft bed with her soft blankets. She wanted to wake up!

"Ouch! Take it easy!," she said while the monk opened the door.

He lead her to a dark hallway, with only the moonlight shining through the windows to light their way. She tried to yank her wrist away from the Ganado, but he only gripped harder with his cold hand. It was useless. Only way for her to escape from this Neanderthal was to reload her gun and shoot like there was no tomorrow. Which there might not be for her.

When he opened a door to their left, she took this opportunity to kick him in the back of his knee, which allowed her to shake loose from his grip. She quickly grabbed her gun and tried to reload it. But she had the clip upside down, which the poor girl didn't realize since she was trembling with adrenaline and fear. The monk quickly recuperated and stood up, his red eyes flashing eerily in the dim light.

Sheila began praying as she backed away from the slowly approaching Ganado. After uselessly trying to reload her gun, she finally figured out her problem and corrected it. She looked up just as she put the clip inside her gun, seeing the monk running forward with a gravely yell. He grabbed her throat and began choking her, in turn the frightened girl dropped her gun while fighting for air. She closed her eyes and kneed the man in the groin. He gasped and fell to his knees, holding that injured area. Sheila coughed as she grabbed her gun. Without thinking twice about it, she shot him twice in the chest, and ran when he fell over.

She had no idea where she was, or where she was going. Her only thoughts were to run and hide. She finally opened a random door and quickly entered. The room was just as dark as the hallway, only the moonlight was shinging through the very large window while a cold breeze swept through the room. The dim natural light gave her some insight inside the room. This one looked like a study, filled with books, a nice mahogany desk, leather chairs by a large fireplace, a beautiful grand piano, and a table with unlit candles on it. She carefully walked over to the desk and grabbed the sharp, silver, letter opener. She would need it when she had no more ammo.

Dropping to the floor when the door slammed open, she bit her lip to stop her scream from excaping her mouth.

"_Clam down, girl. Just hide and don't make a noise, then he'll go away!... Where's a TMP when you need one?" _Sheila thought with distress.

She slowly edged her way in the darkness along the wall. Heavy breathing of the wounded monk filled the silence as he shuffled slowly toward the desk. Good thing she moved away from there. She stopped when he stopped, not wanting to give away her position. She could here nothing except for his muttering.

Her eyes were now getting use to the darkness. She could make out simple objects in the room, along with the evil monk over by the desk. Her knee's were starting to ache as she stayed in that crouched position, too afraid to move. Right now, patience wasn't really working for her. She wanted to get out of the room from that dangerous idiot. But, he just stood there, looking over the desk... Wow, a normal person would have at least moved around the desk to see if she was there.

Sheila slowly began to move along the wall again, keeping an eye on the Ganado. So far, she was doing good. She was already one quarter of the way to the second door that led to who knows where. Her heart was going over the speed limit as she nervously crawled under the large window. As long as she doesn't lift her head, then her shadow won't show up

_"Almost done with the window... There! That was close_," she thought with some sort of relief.

She leaned back on her heels, trying to keep her breathing under control. Have you ever noticed how when you're nervous or in the dark and you're trying to keep quiet, it seems that your breathing sounds like a mighty wind? That's how Sheila's breathing sounded to her. But of course it wasn't, but it seemed that way. She took a peek at the monk who now was around the desk, looking under it.

She bit her lip and as she slowly, stood up, but still crouching, and quietly made her way across the floor. She didn't even looked back as she started to pass the piano. Suddenly, she lost her balance as she tripped over a small footstool, causing her to bump into a bookshelf which knocked down some books. She turned and saw the monks eyes flashing that eerie red again. Knowing that it was do or die, she took her gun out and began firing sporadically. She missed three times as he surprisingly dodged the bullets with ease. Not bad for a guy who was wounded.

The teen watched in horror as he was charging her again, mouth wide open in a triumphant yell. She fired again, the bullet slicing through his left lung like butter. But this didn't stop him, the crazy monk! She then aimed at his knees and fired, this time, dropping him to a kneeling position. Screaming, Sheila ran forward and kicked him in the face, knocking him down. She fired two more shots, the last one causing his head to explode all over the carpet. She grimaced as blood sprayed all over the once, blue rug. Stepping away, she felt relief coursing through her body, now that he was dead...

_"Uh-Oh," _Sheila thought as his body did not in fact melt away.

She watched with horror as the parasite shot through the bloody stump. It's engorged, puss filled centipede body stretched the neck muscles as it wailed around the carpet. Sheila didn't stay much longer, knowing to stay and fight would be a big mistake. She quickly ran over to the door she previously tried to get to. Her hand closed over the brass door handle, turning it as she heard the monster stand up. Her body seemed to take over since her mind froze on her.

Sheila pulled the heavy door open, and screamed. A Red-nine was pointed in her face, the red dot resting in-between her eyes.

"Get down, Red," Luis said with a patient tone.

Sheila obeyed, covering her ears as Luis began to fire at the Las Plagas. Four shots were needed before the creature finally exploded. He gave a faint smile as he twirled the smoking gun. It felt good to take down the very thing he had studied and unfortunately experimented on. The guilt lessened a little each time he took down one of Saddler's worshipers.

"Hey, it's okay. Your knight is here," Luis said with a warm smile as he gave her a hand in getting back up.

Sheila couldn't but help to smile back at her favorite Spaniard. She quickly gave Luis a big hug, so relieved to be alive.

"Heh. If getting a hug from all the ladies for being the hero is the reward, well, I'll sign up with the next police department I see," Luis said while giving her a soothing embrace.

Sheila pulled away and asked with a curious sparkle in her eyes, "So, besides saving young women from monsters, what have you been up to?"

"Tracking down what I lost earlier," Luis said while getting serious. Sheila knew that, she just expected him to find it by now. So, she asked the obvious question. "Well, where did you lose it?"

Luis stepped aside and let her enter the room he was occupying. As she did, he avoided the question and instead, asked a question of his own. "Where's the others?"

Sheila gave him an annoyed look and didn't answer at first. Why do people in the Res universe answer a question with another question? Just give a freaken' answer, people!

"We got separated. First, Ashley ran into a wall trap, so she's waiting on being rescued. (How predictable.) And after that, we went down into the sewers and faced off with a bunch of bug people. They won and kidnapped me. The others are probably looking for me and worried sick, blah, blah, blah," Sheila finally answered in a rush. Now to hear what this scientists plans are.

"Hmmm. I think I know where Ashley is, but it will take some time to get to her. Here, take this map. I really don't need it. That's the room where she is probably being held, so you should hurry. I'm sure Leon and the other two will be there soon," Luis said to the shocked girl_. _

_"He's leaving me_?," Sheila thought with anger. She squinted her eyes and began jabbing him in the chest as she unleashed her wrath.

"Who do you think you are? You're just going to leave me alone while you go on your own little mission! I don't think so, Point Dexter! You're going to help me find my friends and that's it! Do you understand Luis?"

Luis gulped at the very angry red head_. _

_"It must be true what they say. Red heads have the worst tempers_," Luis thought with a tinge of nervousness. He put on his most charming smile and tried soothing the trembling girl.

"But little senorita, you do not understand. Where I am going will be too dangerous for you. I'm no Leon or Chris, I won't be able to help you if we're over taken by these religious zealots. Please, try to understand," he said with sincerity. It didn't work. Once her mind was made up, there's no changing it.

"Luis, it's better to stick together in this castle than being alone. I will not be left behind again! Do you comprendae?"

Luis gave a weak smile and said simply, "Si."

Sheila put on her most cheery smile and stepped back.

"Okay, let's get going!"

**R**

After flipping the levers and collecting the spoils from the monks and the small chest, the trio walked up to the merchant. He looked at them curiously, probably wandering where Sheila was.

Leon answered before the merchant could ask, "They took her."

The merchant sighed, his now red eyes looking old and weary after hearing that news. It's something he heard a lot now days.

"I'm sorry to hear that strangers, really sorry. I wish I was here when it happened," the merchant said with all sincerity.

Claire gave a nod as they left the room. The merchant had no new stuff, so they didn't do any business. The young capable woman smiled at the thought of hearing another theory from Sheila. Seeing the merchant always had the teen thinking up another crazy theory on the workings of the mysterious man. Now, they'll never hear a-

Claire stopped her thoughts from going down that road. It did no good to think negatively. She had to stay positive!

While Claire seemed deep in thought as they stepped through the door, Chris was busy looking and studying the new area they now entered. As they walked up the stairs, he noticed a few scattered, old pictures on the wall. It reminded him of his grandparents home, with all the old pictures hanging on the hall wall. This gave the castle a bit of a homey touch. Too bad the Castellan of the castle went loco.

Chris was even more surprised on how the upstairs looked. Nice red carpet, old but endearing wall paper, and nice furnishings. The room had a family quality to it. He looked around at the photos as Leon read the Castellan Memo. He almost smiled at the picture of a young mother with her baby sitting down on a large coach, snuggling and smiling at the camera. It had a bronze plaque on the bottom of the frame, with something written in Spanish. It read, "Isabella and the eighth Castellan, Ramon Salazar." Chris turned away from it, not really wanting to see that evil midget as a human being once. It was just too sad to think about it.

"Let's move on," Chris said as he opened the door.

They stepped inside the fancy room and heard the red cult member cry out. Chris quickly brought out his rifle and sniped the two bow men. They fell with one shot a piece, giving the trio a break from snipers for once. The red, ram head monk priest screamed and hit the deck. Chris cursed at this as Claire and Leon took care of the two black robed monks running toward him. After taking care of that bit of trouble, Chris watched as Leon and Claire ran toward the door at the opposite end of the room.

He followed, still clutching his sniper rifle. As a monk with a metal helmet attacked Leon and Claire, Chris raised his rifle and began beating the Ganado with the butt end of the rifle. The man gasped as he hit him right in the gut, causing all the air to whoosh out of the cult member. Claire took this opportunity to put her guns right up to the wheezing man's spine and blast him. The man dropped like a potato sack and melted as his Spinal fluid shot out every where. Claire grimaced as they left and hurried up the stairs.

Leon kicked the door open and ran across the balcony, his gun raised as his eyes scanned the area. No monks, except on the lower level. He noticed the cowering red priest with two more masked monks standing by the door. A red explosive barrel was near the monks. He aimed at the barrel and fired. Fire and debris shot out from the explosion, killing the two monks while the priest only seemed winded from the event. Leon cursed as they ran around the balcony. Chris noticed the gap where he could jump down and kill the priest on the lower level. He didn't even tell the others as he jumped down.

Unfortunately, the priest had gotten over from the explosion and had opened the door to get back on the upper level. And what made matters worse, Leon and Claire had just jumped down as well. As the other two chased after the cowardly priest, Chris had raised the rifle and was peering through the scope, waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill the monk.

He smiled as the idiot stopped across from him and stared like a deer caught in the head lights. He fired and shot the man straight in the heart, but this did not drop him to his annoyance. It just seemed to wake the idiot up from his stupor. He fired again, hitting the man in the waist, which seemed to anger the monk. The priest began to shout in rapid Spanish, well, curse more like it. Chris decided to just fire till the priest's body stopped twitching. He fired again, and again and again. The bullets slicing through the priest with ease.

Blood splashed all over the pretty wall paper behind the monk, giving this area a slaughter house look. With a last curse, the priest raised a hand in the air and fell over the balcony, landing with a loud thud. Chris watched as he melted away, revealing a key to the door behind him. He smirked and gave a thumbs up to Leon and Claire above on the balcony.

Claire shook her head and yelled, "Since you killed him, you get to go down there and get the key."

Chris groaned and let out some Spanish curses. He jumped down and began mumbling about stupid priests and other stuff I shall not mention. He picked up the key and wiped the blood off the Gallery key. He shrugged and and began to retrace his steps. Meanwhile, Claire and Leon were waiting by the locked Gallery door. They waited patiently for Chris while dividing the money they found. Four Peseta boxes to be exact. After evenly counting out the money and putting it in three piles, they began to put their shares in their pouches.

"Hey, what about me," Chris asked as he jumped down to them. Claire gave a small smile and gave him his share. Her older brother beamed and put the money safely in it's pouch, patting it for good measure. Claire rolled her eyes and took the key from him. As she opened the door, she heard Leon complimenting Chris on his sniper skills. Chris in turn complimented on Leon's agent skills.

"_Great, a complimenting feast. Stick with the program guys," _Claire thought with a smile.

As she stepped through the room, she gasped at the so called art gallery. Four large portraits of people dying graced the wall. Salazar was a sick, sick, puppy. Chris and Leon grimaced at the portraits as well, but got over it quickly. It didn't really surprise them that this little dude had a death fetish. The creep did after all worship Saddler.

"Looks like a puzzle," Leon commented as he stepped up to the central panel.

He noticed the four switches and a OK button. As he read the inscription, Claire spotted a Velvet Blue crystal in the stuffed deer's head. She raised one gun and fired, startling the two men. Grabbing the jewel, she smiled innocently at the other two, which in turn did not. Sheesh, tough crowd.

"Okay, I think I got this figured out," Leon said as he began pressing buttons.

The portraits began flipping around, revealing even more gruesome pictures. After fiddling around with it, Leon pressed the OK button. Nothing happened. Chris scoffed and pushed the puzzled agent aside.

"Let a true genius show you how it's done," Chris said with an air of being all knowing.

Leon rolled his eyes and retorted, "Show me a genius and I'll show you a million dollars."

Claire sighed as Chris also failed the puzzle. They knew the answer to the puzzle, just not the equation. As the two fussed over the buttons, Claire silently did her thing. She pressed number three, two, then four. Now the pictures revealed a close up of a man kneeling down as the blade of the guillotine was about to chop off his head, and the pictures of a man being hung with another standing beside him. Basically, it showed man kneeling, man being hung, man kneeling, and man being hung. She smiled as she pressed the OK button. The wall began to move, revealing a hidden door.

The two men looked at her with embarrassed expressions. She had pity on them and said, "This will never leave this room."

"Thanks," the two men replied. As they entered the next room... FIND OUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Muah! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

**Authors Note: Hey everyone! Sorry that this was chapter was late, I've been a very busy person. Work, painting faces for the fall festival and then looking after the teen center is tiring! Sooooo, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I promise that there will be theories in the next chappie! I didn't put any in this one since I got carried away with the characters being separated. Sooooo, review you peeps! And watch out for all those zombies if you didn't review! Heheheheheeeee! **


	25. Chapter 24:Sick Twisted Tastes

**Authors Note: So here we are with another chapter... Look how far we come...WOW! Some people may call it brain washing the masses, but I call it giving the masses what they want! Hehe! Okay, on with the story! Read and enjoy!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4:A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 24: Sick Twisted Tastes**

Leon, who was ahead of the group, ran in the room to find that Salazar was waiting for them. Ramon laughed at the angry looks coming his way from his enemies. Didn't they know that he didn't take them seriously?

"What a pleasant surprise. But I'm afraid it's Ashley and the girl we want... Not you Mr. Kennedy," Salazar said with emphasis, ignoring the other two. He did notice that the red haired one was not with them. Could she have fallen in another trap of the castle?

"If you don't need me, then get off my back old man," Leon said with all his hostility in those simple words.

Leon watched with anger as Salazar just smiled and raised his hands like he was surprised at his reference toward him.

"(Fake gasp) Did you say old man, Mr. Kennedy? It might come as a surprise, but I'm only twenty years old," the little young man said.

His eyes gleamed as Leon spat back with venom in his voice, "So you're just like all the others? A puppet of the parasites?"

Salazar scoffed at this as he replied rather defensively, "Surely you don't think I'm the same as those diminutive Ganados! The parasites, the Las Plagas are slaves to my will. I have complete, absolute control."

Leon raised his eyebrows at the little egotistical man up above. He really had know idea that he was just another pawn for this Saddler guy.

"Well, I really don't give a d-mn. Rain or shine, you're going down," Leon said with conviction.

Salazar snorted as he signaled for the monks to appear. Metal doors swung around, revealing several Ganados, holding their blades of death. Some had no weapon, but that didn't matter since they had more in number than the heroes.

Salazar raised his lip at the three intruders and said with dismissal, "Get rid of our American friends."

With that said, he left them to what he thought was their doom. He really didn't want to waste his time in watching their cruel deaths when he had to send out another search party for the other girl. This was going better than what he was informed. Soon, he'll call up his Lord and deliver the good news of recapturing the girls and killing the three Americans. Oh, Lord Saddler will be proud! As he daydreamed of all the praise and rewards he will get, the heroes were busy defending their lives.

Immediately after Salazar left, they bolted to Leon's right and busted through the rusty door. They quickly ran up the old stone stairs and readied their weapons. Claire took out her Uzis (the M 100's or whatever their called in Resident Evil X Code Veronica. I like Uzis better!) while Chris brought out his Riot gun. He was a perfect killer with that gun. Leon had his trusty TMP, hehe! He got tired of using the Black-tail and wanted to get through this area as quickly as possible.

Claire stood at the corner, facing the top stairs door while the two men stood side by side, waiting on the monks. It wasn't a long wait since the monks were hot on their heels. The door banged open, revealing several monks. Two ran clumsily up the stairs, their grim reaper weapons raised high. Their constant chanting was all they could hear before the gunfire started. Leon began firing, slowing down the two and causing them two fall hard and awkwardly on the stairs. He didn't stop firing till both men died in front of him, leaving a nasty mess.

But three more showed up, with one throwing his weapon at the two men. Leon ducked but Chris did not. He blasted the blade with his Riot gun and began firing at the monks down below. None were able to get a single foot up the stairs as he continued blasting away at their mid sections. He didn't want a parasite to emerge in such close quarters. Unfortunately, two did while the upstairs was busted through with two more monks. One had a cross bow ready while another charged with flaming red eyes. It was Claire's turn to have fun as she started firing at the fast monk, but was not able to stop him since he wouldn't even stop at being wounded several times. He grabbed her by the throat and began chocking her with a steady chant.

Leon cursed as he was torn between with trying to save Chris and himself from getting their head bitten off, or helping Claire. He took one peek at the auburn haired beauty and decided right then to help her. He raised his gun and fired at the monks legs, causing him to drop Claire while placing his hands over the new wounds.

"Thanks," Claire said gratefully as she shot an arrow out of mid air.

Apparently, the bow-man did not like seeing Claire alive. He fired again, this one barely missing her head as she ducked. She grabbed the wounded monk in front of her and used him as a human shield as she fired at the sniper. Chris and Leon on the other hand had no shield whatsoever. As they fired at the disgusting centipede parasites, they were dodging an arrow every time they tried to move over to Claire.

BOOM! BOOM! Chris smiled at the parasite as it finally exploded as he fired at the head section. The yellow and brown liquid splattered all over it's comrade while still walking forward. The dead body stopped and fell in it's fellow parasites path. After the other parasite tripped over the body, the body melted away, leaving one parasite to deal with. Leon's TMP kept up the automatic firing at the parasite. Soon, it joined it's brethren in death and did the same, disgusting popping trick.

They turned their attention to Claire who was now using her human shield as a weapon. She pushed him into the bowman which caused them to both to stumble back. She smiled as she fired at the top ones head. His head exploded but no parasite emerged. But the bowman underneath did. Claire ignored him and allowed Chris to take care of it while she and Leon reloaded. They heard the awful scream of the parasite as Chris killed it with three shots. He then quickly placed his body against the outer wall and peered through the window with no glass.

He gave Leon and his sister a sign where the other bowmen were. There was three more, each situated at an corner. Chris would take the one in the left corner while Leon and Claire busily took care of the others. They thought it would be easy, but boy were they wrong!

An arrow whizzed by Chris's head. He turned and saw that the monk in the other corner had seen him and was quickly reloading. He gave the other two a nod, giving them a thumbs up before charging the monk.

The Ganado looked up after reloading and saw the angry American running toward him like a angry bull. The monk dropped his cross bow and ran screaming away. Chris cursed at how fast these monks could be at times. He stopped at the corner and raised his Riot gun, but the monk had already turned the corner and was hiding with a braver Ganado with the stupid cross bow.

"Ah, sh-t," Chris cursed as the monk fired two arrows.

He basically hit the deck and took out a grenade. Pulling the pin with his teeth, he quickly threw the grenade with amazing accuracy. The grenade exploded, killing the bow-man but not the coward. The Ganado screamed as a hand fell in his lap. He grabbed it and threw it at Chris, but it disintegrated immediately while in the air. Chris smiled as he put up his Riot gun and brought out his Sniper rifle. The frightened Ganado screamed and ran over to the sliding portrait where the two Ganado's with the Rocket launchers were waiting.

Meanwhile, Leon and Claire were busy taking down the other bow-man. He went down without much of a fight. But, as soon as they killed him, the metal rotating doors revealed more monks. They immediately began to fire with their bow-guns. Leon and Claire tried to shoot them out of the air, but one escaped and pierced Leon in his left shoulder, causing the agent to grunt in pain. But this didn't stop the agent from continuing the fight. As cheesy as the old sayin' is, I believe it applies to his situation. No pain, no gain.

He fired away, mowing down two of the bowmen, blood and brown liquid coating the floor with it's sticky essence. They dropped their bow-guns and fell with Lord's Saddler on their lips. Leon smirked but didn't get to enjoy his victory. A Ganado had sneaked up and had grabbed Claire from behind.

"Oh, hell no!," she said with anger_. _

_"Are all the men around here cave men_," Claire thought with hostility.

Leon raised his gun and tried to find an opening to save Claire, but the monk used her as a shield in protecting himself. Suddenly, the monk let Claire go when a shot was fired. The Pasty Monk dropped to the ground, his head missing. Luckily, no parasite came out to say hello. Claire turned her head and smiled. Her brother lowered the Sniper rifle and gave a smile of his own,

"Are you all right," Leon asked with a worried tone. Claire smiled and gave a light punch to his arm.

"I'm fine, Mr. Kennedy. Don't worry so much," she chided as she walked past him.

Leon scoffed and replied, "But it's my job to worry."

"You know, you should - Oh crap!," Claire said with a horror filled expression.

The lovely painting had moved up, revealing two Ganados with two Rocket Launchers!

_"Who the hell gave these idiots rocket launchers?" _Claire thought with astonishment coloring her face.

Leon grabbed her hand and tried to run, but their two enemies fired. The rockets exploded where they were just standing. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough to get out completely clear of the blast radius. The force of the explosions sent the two heroes flying in the air about five eight feet back. Smoke and debris filled the air, dulling the two's senses

_"Ugh, my head_," Leon thought with a wince of pain.

He looked to his right and saw Claire trying to get up.

"Leon, are you alright," Claire asked with a bit of worry of her own. Leon sat up and smirked.

"You know, you shouldn't worry so much, Miss Redfield," he joked back her response. Claire gave a small laugh, making Leon's heart flutter.

"Stay still, I got to get that arrow out of your shoulder," Claire said with a more serious tone.

She felt bad for not taking care of it as soon as the Ganados were dead. She should have paid more attention.

"Does this mean I get to take my shirt off," Leon said with a mischievous grin, wagging his eyebrows. Before she could respond, she heard Chris's worried voice call out to them from the opposite side of the room.

"Hey! I can't see you guys! What happened? Are you two alright?"

"Yes Chris, we're alive! Just don't go near that picture! Two men are hiding behind it with rocket launchers!"

Silence. Chris's voice carried out with a disgusted tone, "That's messed up!"

Leon muttered with a hiss of pain as Claire extracted the arrow, "I concur."

Claire quickly cleaned the wound. She had to cut a little bit around the flesh when she was trying to take out the arrow. It was a barbed tip which makes getting the arrow out a more painful progress. As she sprayed some of the first aid spray, she saw with relief that the wound was already starting to close up. She bandaged it and smiled when she was done.

"There. How does it feel?"

Leon rolled his shoulder around, only wincing slightly as he did.

"Much better. Thanks," he said with a grateful tone. Claire smiled brightly as she stood up, lending him a hand.

"Think nothing of it," she said while helping the agent up.

He picked up the TMP and put the trusty gun away. Then he brought out the Blacktail and looked at Claire with a look of dread.

"Before we ran from the two Rocket maniacs, I saw that the door was barred shut. There's a red button next to it, so I'm guessing that we press it to open the door. Which means-"

"That we have to brave the two idiots again... This sucks," Claire said with a tired tone.

Leon gave a sad smile and agreed. Chris, who was at the opposite of the room, had just checked the room with the pot. He found a red button too. When he pressed it, nothing happened. If you played the game, you should know that you have to press the button by the door first.

"Hey guys, I found a button, but nothing happened when I pressed it!" Chris stated with irritation.

He heard the two groan. As they explained their findings, Chris sighed with what he knew he had to do. He gripped his automatic rifle and said, "Leon, take out your rifle. We're going sniping!"

Leon took off his sniper off of his shoulder and told Claire to where she was at. The two stealthily walked over to the corner, eyes darting at every angle. Leon watched as Chris mouthed silently, one, two, three. They rolled out, scaring the cowardly Ganado who was underneath the painting. They ignored him as the picture was raised up quickly, revealing two grinning Ganados. Both men fired, delivering head shots. One Ganado dropped his launcher as his head exploded while the others eyes rolled to the back of his head. He slumped over, melting away. The picture closed shut, never to open again.

The two men stood up and looked at the coward. Leon felt a resemblance of pity for the parasite infected man, but Chris absolutely did not. The little creep tried to put a bolt in him! He raised his gun and pointed, but could not shoot. The Ganado was crying and pleading in Spanish for mercy.

"Stop acting like that so I can shoot you," Chris said with venom. The man did not seem to understand and began groveling.

"Chris, maybe we can-" Claire began as she walked up behind them.

"Don't Claire. This little weasel is one of them. He tried to kill me!"

"Chris! Look at him," Claire argued while giving him a withering stare.

He refused and began arguing with his sister. Leon watched with a groan_. _

_"When the Redfield temper flares, run for cover and kiss your a-s goodbye_," Leon thought with a mental sigh. Why they choose now to argue was beyond the logical agent's mind. From the corner of Leon's eye, he saw movement. He quickly brought his gun up at the charging monk, who had a knife in his gnarly hand.

"No escapae!"

Whack! Leon smacked the monk with the butt of his sniper rifle, causing the Ganado to fall on his face. Leon didn't waste time as he shouldered his gun and brought out his knife. He quickly slit the monk's throat and stabbed the gargling man through the ear. He twisted to make sure he killed the Ganado. Blood was spraying all over his chest from the slit throat. He quickly took the knife out of the twitching Ganado's head and watched as he disintegrated. Then he cleaned the blade on the carpet and sheathed the awesome knife.

Chris and Claire were silent at first. They said nothing. Chris was the first to speak. "See. I told you he was just another evil Ganado!"

**R**

Sheila had no idea where she was. Only Luis seemed to know where they were going. And the silence was killing her! Not literally of course. But it will soon if someone or something doesn't speak or do something soon! So, she did what any Res fan would do... She started to swap theories.

"Luis, do you have any theories on how the merchant gets around so fast?"

Luis stopped at the turn of the dark hallway. He turned and gave her a strange look.

"Pardon?," he asked with a surprised look on his face.

Sheila decided to be brave and continue this ridicules conversation. "You heard me. Any theories?"

Luis rubbed his chin and tried to hide a smile. He couldn't believe that she was actually asking this out of the blue. Leon must have his hands full with this one.

"Uuuuuum. No. Can't think of any. How about you tell me some of your theories. There's no Ganados around, so it's safe to talk," the Spaniard said with a small smile.

Sheila beamed and began telling him all the past theories that everybody, except Ashley, had come up with. Luis laughed at the theories, wandering how these Americans can find the littlest thing and make it into a enjoyable one.

"So, Sera, as a scientist, what is your take on this puzzling merchant," she asked in her mock reporter's voice.

He smiled as he stopped before a blue door.

"Hmmm. As a scientist, I would have to pick the most reasonable, complicated, theory of them all... He's really a alien who has a invisible spaceship. He flies around in it across the planet, and when he finds a spot where he has set up shop, he teliports to it. That's how he gets around unheard and unseen," Luis said with obvious pride at his silly theory.

Sheila chuckled and patted the scientist on the shoulder. "Not bad for a very logical person. I vote you in the MIT club!"

He stared at her with obvious mirth and curiosity. "What's this MIT club?"

Sheila leaned forward and said with mock seriousness, "It's a club I just came up with. It stands for Merchant's Insane Theories club! Anybody can join as long as their theory has a strand of silliness in it. But whatever you do, don't tell Leon that I might kick him out as soon as I announce the club to everybody. He's too logical at times."

Luis winked and whispered, "Your secret is safe with me."

Sheila laughed and shook her head.

"Well, I might let him stay. He has started to give crazier theories lately," she said with a teasing smile.

The two sobered up when he grabbed the door handle.

"You ready for this," Luis asked while staring at the door.

Sheila looked at Luis's hand that clutched the brass door handle, and shuddered.

"Do I have a choice?"

Luis nodded and began turning the door handle very slowly, causing more tension to form in the younger woman's stomach. She could swear that she heard the heart beat from the Resident Evil games again. The beating grew louder with each passing second. It seemed to take an eternity before Luis began to open the door. The door gave a creak that sounded like a fog horn to the teen at that moment. Could it be any louder?

Luis took out his gun and walked inside first, looking around for the enemy. Sheila followed, her gun ready for action. They were in a lavishly decorated room, made to be admired by aristocrats. Large portraits hung in the cozy but expensive room. Sheila drowned in the sight of the history before her. Blue carpet was laid out on the stone floor, with matching blue banners. These blue banners were not like the cult ones that hung through out the rest of the castle. These banners had a different insignia embroidered on them. Sheila recognized ii as the Salazar family insignia from the compass that Ashley will have to find later.

Her heart froze cold when she saw armor suits in the room. She hoped that these were just every day armor suits, and not the parasite filled ones. She detested those things.

Luis leaned over and whispered into her ear, "We're close. Stay very quiet, and follow my lead."

Sheila nodded, and followed the tense scientist. She felt her hands get sweaty as she gripped the gun handle harder. They were passing the armor suits, walking ever so slow. She tried not to look over at the suits, but her eyes seemed to be attracted to the shiny armor. She shivered at the creepy sight.

When they passed the last suit of armor, Sheila let out a sigh of relief. They made it! But her relief was short lived. Luis had stopped and seemed ready to let out a stream of curses. A Ganador was standing by the door, his heavy breathing filling the air. Sheila nearly cursed herself, which is a rarity. She hoped against hope that she would never have to face one of these stupid Gladiator guys.

Luis slowly turned his head and pressed a finger to his lips_. _

_"You don't have to tell me twice_," Sheila thought grimly

_D-mn! I guess going through here once got their attention... Now how am I going to get myself and the little senorita pass that monstrosity? Our weapons are not strong enough to kill the Ganadore... This is not going to be easy_.

Luis looked around, looking for any object to distract the Ganador... He looked behind him at the armor

_Hmmmm... That would defiantly make enough noise for our abnormal friend here._

Sheila hoped she wasn't thinking what Luis was thinking... Yep, she was. The crazy man was actually going to do it_... _

_Guess there's no choice in the matter... Stupid monster!_

Luis signaled for her to stick close as he silently and slowly backed up to the suit of armor. When he stood next to it, he grabbed her hand and squeezed in reassurance that he wasn't crazy. She begged to differ!

Luis put one hand on the suit of armor and pushed with all his might, causing a loud chain reaction. That was all it took for the Garrador to attack. Luis ran out of the way as he pulled the teenager along. The Ganador ran and tripped over the armor suit. Sheila would have laughed if she wasn't so freaken' scared. Luis kicked open the door, alerting the Ganador. It jumped up and ran toward the closing door. Luis slammed the door in the creature's face and jumped back. Two long claws stabbed through the thick, wooden door.

"I think we should run," Luis stated after grabbing her hand again.

"I agree with you one hundred percent," Sheila said as they ran down the dimly lit hall.

**R**

Leon pressed the second button in the tiny room. They heard a rumbling sound of the tiny bridge connecting with the tall, square pedestal that held the first part of the puzzle.

"There, now we can get out of this lame room," Claire said as she opened the blue door. Her eyes widened again as she faced another two Rocket Launcher freaks. She must have a invisible target on her.

She quickly slammed the door and jumped back as the two rockets were fired. The door exploded, debris and smoke filled the air. The trio coughed as they quickly got out of the room. The two monks were already running away. Claire angrily began to shoot at the fleeing cowards. They fell before they could finish crossing the tiny bridge, snapping their necks when they hit the ground.

She quickly followed the two older men and waited as they opened the beautiful chest. Inside was the goat puzzle piece. Chris put the piece in his case, and then followed Leon to the agent kicked open the white door, not really caring who was on the other side. He raised his blacktail and did a quick once over with his eyes.

"All clear!"

Chris stepped through the doorway and noticed right away that there was a typewriter on a small table. He smiled and began to type a message. After he was done, he followed his team.

"What did you type on the typewriter," Claire asked her older brother.

Chris just shrugged and replied, "Nothing. Just leaving my mark."

As they passed the last window, Leon froze. Chris passed him and gave him a curious look.

"Do you hear that," Leon asked with one eye twitching.

Realization flickered across the siblings eyes as they turned their attention to the blue door.

"Crows," they all said together. Needless to say, each had a bad experience with infected crows during the viral outbreak. Of course they knew that these would not be infected, but you never can be too careful. In fact, I suggest everybody to be wary of crows!

Leon took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the door_. _

_"You can do this. It's just some stupid birds, that's all... Just... birds. This is not a bad sign of things to come_," the agent reassured himself. He kicked the door open, and gasped at what he saw. A dozen crows were perched on each open window sill, staring at him. Their eyes were not red or foggy like an infected bird, but their stare was unnerving to say the least.

He took one step forward, startling the birds.

"CAW! CAW! CAW!"

The air filled with the panicked sounds of crows as they flew out the windows. But some were too panicked as they flew around aimlessly. One flew and smacked right into Chris's face.

"Aaaaaaaaa! Get it off! Get this d-mn bird off," Chris screamed as he ran up the steps blindly.

"Chris! Watch out," Leon warned.

But it was too late. Chris ran smack into the door, knocking out the bird and nearly himself. He stepped back unsteadily, and nearly tumbled down. Leon steadied him and bit back the laughter that threatened to spill over.

The unconscious bird fell down at Chris's feet, making a small caw sound. Chris groaned as he rubbed his sore face_. _

_That's going to leave a mark_.

"Oh Chris, are you going to be alright," Claire said in a motherly tone.

Chris snorted and gained what was left of his composure. Trying to save as much manly dignity he had left, he squared his shoulders and kicked open the door.

"I'm fine. Really. I just had to show that crow who was boss," he replied.

Claire rolled her eyes as she followed the two men, saying, "Sure you were. And what a manly display it was."

Chris's ears turned red from embarrassment. Leon started to laugh but quickly faked like he was coughing. Chris glared at him and fingered his blacktail. Sometimes, he just felt like-

_"Oh crap! More crows! Don't they have a life or a place to nest?," _Chris thought with a frustrated sigh. Leon raised his gun and gave Chris a evil grin. "_Oh yeah, now you're speaking my language, Kennedy!"_

_"_Guys! No! Don't be-"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"You bird haters," Claire said in horror. The men just grinned and walked over to the fountain.

"They make great target practice," Chris said while saluting the dead birds. At that moment, bird droppings fell on his shoulder.

"What the?," Chris said with disgust. All three looked up to see the dozen bids flying over head. Poop began to drop in different area's, causing the trio to panic.

"RUUUUUUUN! The birds are unleashing their furry," Chris yelled as he began to run toward the metal door. He tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Come on! This way," Leon said as he ran with Claire down the external wall. Chris followed them as poop began to rain like... well, rain. Leon kicked the door open and ran through, followed by Claire and Chris. Chris slammed the door, leaning against it, his chest heaving at what they just escaped from.

"Did that seem a little bizarre to anyone," Chris asked while clutching his chest.

Leon nodded in agreement while Claire responded with a serious glare, "Maybe it was revenge for killing their friends."

Chris ignored her and looked at his right shoulder, where the disgusting dropping lingered like a disease.

"I guess nobody got a tissue or something," Chris said with disgust as they walked away. Claire took a hankie out of her utility belt and handed it over. Chris looked surprised as he excepted the offer.

"A woman always comes prepared," she responded with a small smile.

As they walked, they came across a locked, metal door with a indention set in the middle.

"Let me guess, the key is in the weird garden, " Leon spat out. He looked out over the maze, noticing how Gothic it looked. It would have been a lovely Gothic look if the owner didn't go and add his own sadistic taste into it. It defiantly fit the owners personality.

They began walking again till they came to the small stone stairs that led down to the garden. Before Leon could take one step down, the sound of his radio grabbed his attention. Although he knew it was Salazar, he answered in hopes that Hunnigan had somehow broken through the interference. He frowned when the pasty complexion of Ramon appeared on the video screen.

Salazar_: Still alive I see.. So, do you and your friends like my garden?_

Leon kept his face calm while he answered the prideful little man. He almost smiled though when he heard the hint of disappointment in Ramon's voice to see him alive.

Leon: _I see you've managed to work in a little of your twisted taste here, too._

Salazar: _He! Ha! Ha! Ha! Sagacious as I am, even I get lost here sometimes. Even if it takes your whole life, you'll never get out. Do you know that no one dies without a cause? You and those intruders will satisfy the stomachs of my cute pets. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to tie up a few loose ends. Like chasing around three rats. _

Leon looked up from the monitor and looked over to his friends. "Three rats?... If one's Luis.. Who's the other two," Leon mused aloud.

Chris gave a theory, "Maybe it's... Sheila? Do you think it's possible that she could be with Luis now?"

Leon seemed to think this over before answering.

"You know, it could be possible," he said with a confident look before continuing, "Maybe she's safe with him now. Salazar would brag if the bug had brought her to him. But that leaves one question... Who's the third rat?"

Claire had a feeling she knew who it was_... _

_Ada... This is going to get complicated. But how do I try and tell Leon that Ada isn't really dead? I can't believe that I forgot to tell him earlier_!

Claire knew it was now or never to tell the man that she... cared for about Ada being alive and well, and lurking around here.. As they walked down the steps, she decided to talk. A Redfield never backed down from anything!

"Guys? I think I know who is the third person," she began hesitantly.

The men stopped at the bottom, waiting as she walked down. When she reached the bottom, she began to spill her guts. She told them about what happened before Chris and herself were reunited, and how she met a woman who was about to be sacrificed. They listened intently, their eyes burning into hers. She described her experience vividly, of how the woman in red saved her, and how she couldn't hear a thing the woman said. She finally looked Leon square in the eyes, seeing the denial.

"Leon, it was... Ada," she said with her heart breaking at those words.

Leon stood there, paralyzed. He couldn't believe his ears. She had to be wrong, she just had to be. He watched her die! But deep down in his heart, he knew that she saw Ada. He heard rumors of the spy and her new connections. The woman in red was alive and working with the man that they all despised. Wesker. He shook himself out of his reverie, hearing Claire ask him to say something.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier," he voiced accusingly.

Claire looked at Leon pleadingly, trying to explain, " I'm so sorry Leon. Things seemed to get more chaotic by the minute, that it honestly slipped my mind."

Leon didn't answer, he just looked at her with a cold expression. Chris put a hand on Leon's shoulder and Claire's shoulder, trying to draw their attention to the matters at hand. Leon looked at Chris and sighed. This was not the time or place to do this.

"Come on. We got to find the key to the door," his voice said without emotion.

When Claire tried to speak, Chris put a finger to her lips and whispered in her ear, "Later Claire. Let him be. He needs to sort things out before he can talk about it."

Claire looked up at her brother as Leon kicked the double door gate open.

"I really did forget, Chris," she said barely above a whisper.

Chris smiled comfortingly and replied, "I know Claire. Just give him time."

They followed Leon through the gate. The agent with his Incendiary grenades and Chris with his Riot Gun. Claire took out her shotgun she got from Ada and followed the two men. As they walked under the bridge, the sound of growls were heard all around them.

"_Time to conquer the maze," _Leon thought while tightening his grip on a fire grenade. He wasn't taking any chances. The sound of light feet running toward them was heard by all. The sound of the deadly wolf dogs!

The trio ran over to the left corner and waited. A grey, large, timber wolf leaped through the greenery and bared his overly large teeth. It was a superior Chamillo!

"What the hell?," Chris exclaimed as several appendages broke through the skin of it's back, slapping him in the face.

Leon pulled the pin and threw it at the animal. The creature yelped in pain as it caught on fire, the smell of burnt fur and flesh filling the air. They covered their noses as the creature fell down, and disintegrated right before their eyes.

"I hope you got more of those," Chris remarked as he rubbed his stinging face. He really didn't need the extra bruises.

Leon responded with a satisfied tone, "Oh yeah. I got about four of these babies left."

**R**

Luis finally stopped beside a red door, panting as he looked behind them. Good, the Ganador didn't bust through and follow them. He felt the teen shiver as she clutched his arm.

Looking down, he gave a reassuring smile as he spoke in a low voice, "This should be the room where I probably dropped it. It will most likely have Ganados in it, so stay close and have that gun ready. We may need it."

She gave a small smile as she raised the gun and gave a nod. He let go of her hand and opened the door slowly.

He poked his head inside and looked around the large room. It was deserted, which he was thankful for. Now he could look for the sample and medication in peace. Of course he'll have to be sneaky and find the sample and hide it before his companion notices. This made Luis feel guilty, lying to this girl who trusted him. But, he had no choice. This was the only way to put a crank in Saddler's plans and get to safety.

"Okay, the coast is clear, but be on your guard," he warned as he held the door open for her.

She walked inside the room. It wasn't flashy at all. In fact, it looked like a ruff version of a lab. Tables with vials, chemicals, and cages lined the walls. Although it wasn't the best lab, it did serve it's purpose.

Sheila looked at Luis and spoke with a firm voice, "O.k. Luis, here we are. We backtracked a ways from the group so we can find whatever you dropped, so spill. What is it we are exactly looking for?"

Sheila of course knew what it was, but she thought it was best to play dumb. She watched Luis's expression, looking for any hint of fear or emotion.

He hid it well as he said, "We're looking for medication for you, Leon, and Ashley. Although the eggs have hatched, the medicine will suppress the growth of the parasite, giving you people time to find the cure."

Sheila pretended to be shocked as she looked him in the eyes. She smiled and asked, "So, where do you think you dropped it?"

He walked over to her and gave a sheepish smile as he answered, "Well, I was attacked in here when I stole the medicine, so it could be anywhere in this room."

Sheila looked around and sighed. The only source of light was the candles that were lit.

She looked up at the Spaniard and said, "Let's get down to business. You look at this side of the room while I look at the left side. Divide and conquer."

"Mmmmmn. I love a lady who knows what she wants," he said with a wink.

Sheila slightly blushed as she gave him a grin. She turned and walked over to her side. As she began looking, she felt the muscles in her back give a twinge of pain. She winced, knowing that her body was definitely trying to shut down for the night. After all, she's been chased by Ganados, monsters, and bugs for the majority of the night. Where was the resting time for the body?

_Reality bites! The characters in the game never show that they're tired unless it's a cut scene. Oh, my feet_!

Sheila's body began to protest as she looked carefully for the blasted medicine. She really, really, wished that she was captured with Ashley right now. As she looked along the tables, Luis looked underneath all the papers that was spilled on the floor from his earlier flight. He knew the medicines had to be there somewhere!

After five minutes of searching, Sheila officially decided that the medicine or the sample was not on that side of the room. She decided to search by the doors, most likely finding them in that radius. She quickly ran over to the door and began her search again. Luis noticed this, his eyes and hands began to search more frantically. He couldn't let her find the sample!

As Sheila got down on her hands and knees, she noticed something in the corner. She got off her knees and walked over, getting excited. It was... the sample. She picked it up and studied it. It was heavy, the metal on the vile causing the heaviness. Needing better light to study it more closely, she walked over to a candle and held it up to the light. The purple liquid was actually pretty, but what was inside was not. A tiny piece of tissue with little appendages floated in the purple goop. Sheila realized that it was a parasite, a living one in fact. It looked different from the parasites on the game.

It had the same amount of skinny legs, and and a tiny undeveloped tale. But what got her was that it had a abdomen like a queen ant. She wandered if this was what they call a queen parasite.

"What do you got there," Luis asked curiously from behind. Sheila jumped and turned around, clutching the sample.

"I um, think I found a sample of the parasite," she said nervously. Luis's eyes traveled down to her hands. She found it, so now he'll have to think of something to get the sample without seeming suspicious.

He reached a hand out and asked, "May I?"

Sheila put the vile in his hand, trying to gouge his reaction. He held it up to the candle light and sighed. It was the sample. As he studied the parasite, Sheila decided to ask the scientist a question.

"Luis, how come the parasite in that vile doesn't grow? Can't the creature live and breath the air we do?"

Luis looked down at her and began to explain, sounding like a true scientist.

"Well, yes it can. But they have to find a host to grow to their full potential. When it takes over a human body, it literally attaches to the nervous system, and lives off the host. That's why you see that everyone with a fully grown or growing parasite, they do not look so well. Their nutrition is being shared with the parasite, causing lack of nutrition, scurvy, and other side affects. When it does grow to an adult, it can leave at any time and live among us, but it strangely rarely does that. It only approaches when it's Host dies or it is threatened," came his long winded reply.

Sheila looked surprised, her curiosity somewhat satisfied. The news also made her cringe, knowing that if Leon, Ashley, or herself do not get this parasite out soon, she'll become another puppet for Saddler. Plus, she did not need a paler shade of skin than she already had. Luis saw the worried expression on her face, realizing that the news forebode bad things for her future.

"Don't worry, Sheila. Once I find the medicine, we'll stop the growth for awhile, giving you and your friends more time," he said with a encouraging smile. Sheila sighed. She new he was right, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"You know what, you're pretty smart scientist," she remarked with a grin. Luis laughed and began searching for the medication, sliding the vile in his pocket, being very sly while doing it.

"By the way, I've been wandering.. How did you know I'm a scientist?"

Sheila almost slapped herself for letting that leak out. She mentioned it earlier, not noticing that she spilled the beans. Make that twice now. Or has it been three times?...

She finally answered while getting down on the floor, helping him search for the pills, "Me and my friends found some of your notes earlier, so we figured that you used to be a scientist here."

Luis sighed as he looked at her. So now they know that he worked as a scientist for that mad man, Saddler. He was ashamed of what he had accomplished for that man, literally helping Saddler to produce the parasite if you can put it so bluntly. That was his guilt and shame, his part in this whole mess.

"Is that why you're helping us? Cause you feel responsible," Sheila asked with a soft voice. She pitied him, carrying around all that guilt.

He slowly looked up and answered, "Si. I allowed my curiosity and research to cloud my judgment. By the time I realized that, it was too late."

Sheila nodded and continued to help with the search for the medicine. His guilt filled the silence.

After a few more minutes of searching, she heard Luis say proudly, "I found it!"

She looked up and smiled, but before she could respond, a seizure took hold of her. She cried out while clutching her chest. The pain was five times worse than when she had the first one. Her chest burned and felt like someone was eating away at the lungs, while pouring hot lava in the mix.

She felt Luis pick her up, saying something in Spanish. She couldn't understand with all the pain causing her to lose all motor functions. Tears began to fall as she felt her chest heave. Something was coming up. She began to cough uncontrollably. Each cough felt like a knife being twisted in her chest. Finally, a big glob of blood came out, coating her hands for the second time. She began to cry, knowing that thing was growing even more larger, signaling the end of her sanity.

She held on to Luis as he put her on a lab table. He began to speak soothing words as she let all her frustration, fears, and hopelessness come out. She cried for herself, for Ashley, and Leon. She didn't even know if they would make it. After awhile, she began to hiccup as her tears stopped. She felt pain with each hiccup. Luis walked away to grab a paper towel from the counter. He came back and offered the ruff version of a hankie. She excepted it and wiped away the tears. To her embarrassment, she noticed that she left a bloody hand print on the Spaniard's shoulder and chest.

"I'm so sorry! I'll clean it up," she said in a rush.

Luis stopped her and said, "It's okay, I'll be fine. It's you that I'm worried about."

She looked down at her bloody hand and whispered, "Me too."

She began to wipe away the blood, then used another paper towel to blow her nose. As she got control of her hiccups, Luis gave her one pill.

"Take it, this should help with keeping it at bay," he said with his hand offering the pill. She took it and asked for a glass of water. He smiled sadly and responded, "These have to be taken dryly."

Sheila made a face, not liking the sound of that. She had a touchy gag reflex, so taking this pill will not be a walk in the park. Placing the large pill in her mouth, she tipped her head back. Slowly, she pushed the pill to the back of her throat, then swallowed. She began to gag, but covered her mouth so it wouldn't pop back out. Finally, she got horse pill down, which proved worse. It left an unpleasant after taste, which made her want to hurl it back up.

Luis put a hand on her shoulder and said, "The taste is unpleasant, but you have to keep it down. The nausea will pass in just a moment."

She nodded and waited. It did, much to her relief. She looked up and sighed_. _

_Did I forget to mention that I really want to go home now_?

Luis lifted her off the high lab table and set her down softly. Just as they were about to leave, six monks burst through the door they just came through. Luis cursed and drew out his gun. He and Sheila began to fire, causing the rushing monks to fall over each other. They continued to fire, killing three as the rest died and revealed the parasite. Their heads exploded, leaving brain and blood all over the floor. This time, fully developed parasites greeted them and wouldn't be so easily disposed of. Luis cursed, knowing that these were the worst. He grabbed Sheila's hand and ran over to the door. He kicked it open and began to run for their lives.

**R**

"Just our luck! The key is a two piece set," Leon grumbled as he picked the first half of the moon key.

Things were not exactly going well for them. It seemed at every corner, a parasite wolf would jump through the greenery and attack. Or they got a bit lost and had to stop to look at their map. And that was a bad idea since a wolf would just appear and attack. Chris, Leon and Claire took a slap here and there from those nasty tentacles.

Claire brought out the map and studied it. She had started to memorize it from their little rambling around in Salazar's fun house, though she still preferred to have the handy parchment on hand. She guessed that the next piece would have to be by the second fountain. She pointed this out to the guys, who agreed with her.

"Now, how to get there," Chris murmured as he looked over Claire's shoulder.

She pointed at the map and said, "Looks like we have to do a little bit of backtracking."

She showed them where to go next.

Leon said, "Lead the way."

Claire nodded and jumped down from the high fountain. The other two followed, hearing yet again more growls.

Claire groaned and said, "Let's run for it!"

She led the way, followed by two chamilllos. She turned this way and that, hearing Chris shooting once in a while when the animals would get to close.

Claire honestly hoped she knew what she was doing, cause if they met a dead end, it would not be pretty. She turned again and smiled, a bridge. She ran up the stairs and then down, then she turned left and nearly gave a whoop of joy. There the fountain stood, it's water sparkling from the torches light.

Chris ran up beside her. They smiled as they heard a sound of dogs yelping, knowing that Leon's fire grenade wiped out the stalkers. The agent appeared, panting slightly

_"Nothing like playing the action hero to get the ticker pumping_," he thought wryly.

Claire picked up the second half of the moonstone and gave it to Leon. He put the two pieces together and gave a small smile.

"There, now we can move on," he said with relief.

He turned and ran around the corner, the siblings following him. He stopped as two wolves jumped in front of him, growling with hunger. He quickly threw his last fire grenade down at them, hearing their yelps as they died quickly.

But before the fire went out, two more jumped over the high flames. One jumped on Chris as the other tried to jump Claire. Leon quickly stabbed the wolf before it laid a paw on her, while the other began to tear into Chris's upper arm. He screamed with pain as he took out his knife and stabbed it in the eye. The large wolf yelped and leaped off, leaving it's eye on the blade. Claire began to shoot it, not stopping till it died. AS for the agent, he continued to stab the determined wolf as it tried to lift itself off the ground. He stabbed and stabbed till the wolf was covered in blood. Finally, he stopped when it disintegrated.

Claire helped her brother up while Leon cleaned his knife. The wolf's blood and hair had splattered across his face and shirt, giving the look of a Rambo wanna-be. Claire quickly checked Chris's wound and judged it that it looked worse than it really was. She quickly sprayed it and patted him on his right shoulder. Chris smiled and offered Leon his dirty hankie.

Leon looked nervously at the hanky and said, "No, I'm fine. I think I can live with a little blood."

Chris flicked the eye off his knife, and holstered it. He was really fond of that Rambo knife. Not only for its cool, dangerous looks, but also because it kicked a-s. The trio felt their blood freeze when they heard the sounds of yet another wolf. They quickly ran up the steps and jumped over the side. There was the gate, looking so beautiful at the moment. They quickly ran for the gate. The sound of heavy panting of the wolf was close. Leon dropped kicked the gate and ran through. Chris and Claire followed, shutting the gate in the wolf's face. It snarled and foamed at the mouth, angry that it's food got away.

Chris raised his middle finger at the wolf and walked away with the silent two. They quickly ran up the small stairs and ran over to the metal, iron door. Leon put the moonstone in the indention and stood back. The door quickly rose up, revealing a dark but beautiful, weird shaped room. The three were now ready for the next chapter to begin, all three entering the room. Leon felt a familiar presence behind him. His eyes began to look to his left, then to his right. He didn't even flinch when a cold, hard, metal barrel of a gun was pressed into his back.

"Put your hands where I can see them."

**Authors Note: This chapter was rather long. I made it that way because I wanted to leave off at the right spot. I've been sick, so forgive me if it isn't the greatest. I really can't stand being sick. Ick! You guys know the drill. Review! And more theories to come!**


	26. Chapter 25: Reunited and it Feels so Bad

**Authors Note: Alright! Here we are with another chapter of this tale of mine. We've come a long way since the beginning! I can hardly believe that we're already here! Woooo hoooo! This chapter will be long and filled with angst, gore, action, and witty comments from our coolest, favorite crew! Prepare yourselves for the under world... Ha Haaaaa! Naaaw, just read and enjoy. **

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 25: Reunited and it Feels so Bad**

"Put your hands where I can see them," came the familiar, smooth feminine voice. Leon saw from the siblings facial expressions that it was definitely who he thought it was.

He didn't even bother raising his hands as he spoke. "Sorry, but following a lady's lead just isn't my style."

Apparently that didn't sit well with the lady in red.

"Put them up now," she spoke in a firmer tone.

Leon looked at the Redfields, giving them a determined look. They exchanged silent messages, and kept out of this particular confrontation. Leon would be facing his past on his own terms.

He cocked his head, then made his move. Quickly, in a blink of an eye, he turned and grabbed Ada's arm and twisted it to disarm her. He grabbed her gun and held her shoulder to keep her still. Ada turned her head and gave him a surprised look, grunting from the painful pinch. But she in turn, turned his small victory around. She did a back flip kick, knocking the gun from his hand.

Not caring that the agent preferred to handle this on his own, Claire quickly took out her guns and aimed while her brother raised his Blacktail. Leon took out his knife and flipped it to get in his knife stance. He then quickly charged the spy, who was almost finished with her flip. The gun twirled in the air and fell directly in her hand. She smiled as she turned, thinking she had the upper hand. But as it turned out, she didn't. Leon was there, with his knife to her throat while his hand grabbed her tiny wrist in a firm grip.

"A bit of advice, try using a knife next time. Works better for close encounters," Leon said while taking her gun away.

He walked toward the siblings, her gun in hand. Without even looking, he disarmed it and tossed it near the opened window. Turning around, he watched the sleek, dangerous woman with a steady gaze. Her usual emotionless mask slipped as she offered him a small, genuine, smile.

"Leon," she said while taking off her rose tinted glasses before continuing, "Long time no see."

Leon gave her a sad look. The sad truth about the woman he had come to care deeply for in the short time he knew her, now was establishing itself without a single word of confirmation from Ada's lips.

"Ada... So it is true," he said while he started to move around.

Ada cocksedher head and said coyly, "True? About what?"

Leon looked at her and glared daggers.

_Stop playing games, Ada_.

"You, working for Wesker," he accused in a cold tone.

Chris gripped his gun harder after hearing that bit of news. He never met the woman before, but from what Leon told him, she was a dead woman who had changed for the better. Looks like he was wrong.

Ada held the rose tinted shades loosely at her side, and pressed a tiny button with one finger as it stroked the edge. She dropped the trivial object to the floor as if due to being taken off guard for a second. The truth was, she was attempting to keep the conversation going so she can make her escape.

"I see that you've been doing your homework."

Chris's eyes roam over to Leon's back. He possibly knew she was alive? And he knew that Wesker hired her? Why didn't he tell him?

"Why Ada," Leon asked, his tone taking a sad, pleading one. He so desperately wanted answers.

"What's it to you," Ada spat out rather harshly, playing the heartless spy to a tee. She didn't mean for it to come out that way, but her feelings were irrelevant when it came to a mission. She had to play the part perfectly to complete her goal.

"Why are you here? Why did you show up," Leon continued to question with emotion simmering more to the surface.

_Why are you alive? _

Ada looked down, then away, trying to hide how his silent, unasked question affected her. She scoffed a bit to show her fake indifference. Suddenly, Leon and the Redfields hear the beeping sound from Ada's glasses. Looking over, the agent grows suspicious steps back.

"It's a flash grenade," Chris exclaimed as he points his gun at Ada, willing to shoot tp stop her from escaping, and getting answers of his own.

Leon noticed and quickly cried, "Chris! No!"

BANG! FLASH! The glasses go off. Everyone covers their eyes as Ada runs to the opposite direction. She quickly rolls over and collects her Blacktail. As the smoke clears, the trio see Ada by the window, smiling.

"See you around. And it was nice to see you again, Claire."

With that said, she climbed through the window and used her grappling gun to help her across the garden. She could hear Leon crying out her name, trying to stop her.

"You should have let me shoot her, Leon. Maybe then we could have gotten some answers," Chris said angrily.

Leon whips around and stomped over to the slightly older man.

"I don't think killing her would get answers, Chris," he said while baring his teeth.

An expression of anger crossed the ex-STARS member's face. Chris inched closer and replied, "I wouldn't have killed her, dumb-a-s. It would have just have been a flesh wound. But maybe, someone has to kill her so we don't get stabbed in the back."

"If you-" Leon began, but was interrupted before he could escalate the emotional disagreement further. Claire pushes them apart, keeping them away from each other.

"Guys, this is not the time to argue! Get your heads on straight before I do it for you. And trust me, you don't want me to do it," Claire warned them with a withering stare to boot. The guys look away and didn't respond. Chris broke the silence first.

"Why didn't you tell me that Ada was working for Wesker," Chris asked in a low voice.

Leon sighed and starteds to rub the back of his neck.

"I didn't know for sure. As you know, I've been trying to track Wesker with the resources I now have, but it hasn't been easy. I heard from one resource that a ex-spy has crossed over and joined Wesker. I didn't believe that it was Ada because I thought I watched her die... Guess I was wrong," Leon responded, his voice turning into a whisper with the last sentence. Chris nodded, and paused with a stern expression still lingering. After a beat, he sighed and gave a tired groan.

"Will we ever get away from anything that's connected with Umbrella," Chris asked while giving Leon a half smile.

Leon shrugged and said in a lighter tone, "Destiny forbids it, I guess."

**R**

Ada landed near the second fountain, her heeled feet landing gracefully. She ran over to the fountain, and reloaded her gun. Her satellite phone beeped, indicating that Wesker was calling. Truthfully, she would rather ignore the call. He wasn't the person she wanted to talk to at the moment. The man was very intuitive, and had a knack of reading a person to the smallest detail. But she didn't feel like explaining why she refused one of his calls without a valid reason. Especially since he had that handy satellite to spy the goings in this dangerous part of Europe. Sighing, she grabbed it from her electrical leg holster on her other leg. Holding the rectangular technology out, she answered it with a cold look.

Wesker's emotionless face appeared on the screen. His black shades hiding his inhuman eyes.

"Luis has succeeded in recovering the sample. He's waiting in the castle," he said while a visual of the map was displayed on the screen. He continued, "Get in contact with him, ASAP."

"Understood."

Wesker's face reappeared on the screen.

"And that U.S. government lapdog, Leon. If you do happen to come in contact with him, put him out of commission. We can't let him interfere with our plans," Wesker said as an after thought.

Ada almost let her mask slip off as worry bloomed in the pit of her stomach. She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible as she replied, "He has no idea what is going on. He's nothing to worry about."

Wesker's face took on an authoritative tone as he replied, "He's a survivor of Raccoon City. We can do without the extra distraction. Take him out now."

The screen went black, indicating that the discussion was over. Ada cursed under her breath as she holstered the phone. She turned with weary slowness and looked at the open door.

"Leon," she said with a sad tone.

**R**

"Will that be all strangers," the merchant asked curiously. They didn't buy much, just upgraded some guns and bought a first aid spray. They at least sold some items, but that was it.

Leon gave a nod as he left the room. He still wasn't speaking much to Claire, but at least she got a grunt out of him.

The merchant noticed how tense it was between the three of them. He could tell that the most of the tension was between Leon and Claire. If he didn't know any better, he think they had a lovers tiff.

As Claire walked by him, he put a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Sometimes, men can be idiots."

Claire slowly smiled and agreed.

"Claire, you coming," Chris asked as he peeked back into the room. Claire gave one last smile at the friendly merchant and joined her brother.

As the door closed, the merchant heard the sound of his dog, Wolf running up toward him. He smiled, although his scarf didn't show it.

"Hey, boy. Where have you been?"

The dog wagged his tail and dropped what was in his mouth. It was a nice ruby, perfect in fact. The merchant smiled and picked up the jewel.

"Eh, thanks boy. Heh. Heh. Heh. Every little bit helps.," the merchant said with a grin. The sound of gun fire from the garden startled the dog and his master.

"Guess it's time to move over by the typewriter," he muttered. The dog whined in response and followed his master.

In the next room, Leon, Chris, and Claire were busy looking around the beautiful dining room. Two long, rectangular tables were covered in a expensive table cloths. Beautiful china was set at each table, lined with real gold spoons, forks, and knives. Silver goblets were lined next to each plate, giving the tables the look of royalty. On each table was lighted candles, setting the perfect mood for a feast fit for a king.

_"And Saddler wanted more money to keep his so called religious community up and running. Teh. Looks like Salazar has enough money to support ten religious cults_," Leon though with a shake of his head. Talk about greed.

Chris turned and began studying the menus. They were very disturbing, as if trying to say that they better enjoy the coming meal for life would soon come to an end. That, or they were heavily giving clues for a puzzle. After reading the last one, he decided to move on. He noticed that bars kept anyone from entering the very, red room. That could be a good thing, or bad. You never know what could happen next in this freaky castle.

Chris moved on to the bell on the counter.

"Must be where they call on dinner," Leon said from behind.

Chris raised his hand and hit the button. The musical sound of the bell caused the blank wall down the hall in front of them to flip over. It was a picture of a grand dinner.

"Wow, that was weird," Leon mumbled as he stepped up beside Chris.

Chris studied the picture, recalling the strange menus. It had everything the menus suggested. The bread, the chicken, (or turkey), and a glass of wine next to the bottle. He thought about it deeply, and wandered if he somehow shot them, maybe it would open the door.

Before Chris could raise his gun, Leon shot the bottle of wine, causing wine bottle and the fine red wine within to burst all over the picture. Chris turned and just glared at the agent.

Leon smirked and said in response, "I read the menus too."

As Leon stepped back, Chris muttered, "What do you want, a hero cookie?"

As Leon stepped through the door, he stopped and said over his shoulder, "Claire you stay here. Just in case this is a trap."

Claire listened and muttered under her breath, "Wow. He's speaking in full sentences now. Whoopee-do."

With narrowed eyes, Leon turned around and asked, "Did you say something?"

Claire looked innocently at him and smiled. Chalking it up to hearing things, he turned and began walking forward toward the pedestal. It had another beautiful chest sitting on top of it. Maybe another puzzle piece?

A large metal cage slammed down around Leon, leaving no escape. Chris cursed as he tried to knock down the cage door. It was no use. A very large, complicated lock kept that and the other door from being opened. And unless there was a key that mysteriously appeared, he wouldn't be helping Leon any time soon.

Claire ran in the room just as some Ganados were jumping down from the large, square roof above. Her heart froze when a Ganador jumped down, his roar filling her ears as he raised his hands in a triumphant pose. Leon grabbed his second to last grenade and threw it at the opposite door. It exploded, breaking the lock as it also injured the Ganados. It only caused the Ganador to stumble, which saved Leon from getting his head from being cut off from his unfriendly cell mate.

Leon quickly ran over and kicked the door down. He heard more Ganado monks jump down from behind. As quickly and quietly as he could, the agent made his way to the left. The Gladiator got over his shock and unsheathed his deadly claws. He began walking a slow pace around the cage, ignoring the Ganados. This one seemed a bit smarter than the other one as it didn't even growl at the nosiy monks. Everyone (that wasn't a Ganado) was quiet, trying to not to make a sound.

As Leon walked slowly around the cage, the Ganados quickly ran out to attack the quiet agent. Claire and Chris were slowly making their way to help Leon out, their knives drawn. His face paled when he reached the other corner, seeing the Monks with their much larger blades and weapons. It was an uneven match.

"Grrrrrrrr!" the Ganador growled as he circled the chest on the pedestal. That was one thing they were grateful for, he didn't venture out of the cage.

"Mush! Ha ha ha ha," a very confident monk chuckled as he stopped running and instead, stalked his prey. He had a Scythe handy, raised in the air while the two behind him had the old chain and ball routine.

Leon backed away with his friends toward the door, unwilling to make the first move. The chuckling monk attacked first. Not in the mood to mess around, Leon ducked and kicked the ganado in the groin. He grunted in pain and fell to the ground. Leon then jumped on top of him and began punching the Ganado in the face. Chris hurried over to the next monk and quickly disarmed the surprised man. He then used the man's weapon against him.

Claire was meanwhile busily trying to get close enough to the monk with his chained mace and try to stab him. But every time she came within range, that mace came dangerously close to delivering a killing blow. Eventually, she had an idea. She thew the knife at the bar of the cell, causing a clanging sound. This really caught the Ganador's attention. He ran toward the bars and stuck a clawed hand out, skewering the surprised monk. The monk began coughing and gurgling blood, staining his clothes and the carpet. The Ganador gave a pleasing growl and retracted his claws. He got to kill something, that's all that mattered to him.

Claire watched as Leon finished beating the living daylights out of the monk and deliver a deep stab wound to the heart three times. He stood up, wiping his head as he walked over the disintegrating man and waited for the next set of monks. Sure enough, two more dropped in. But this time, the Ganador seemed agitated that he was receiving help. He lopped one unsuspecting monk's head clean off, then he ripped apart the newest form of the parasite; the fully developed parasite. Even when it detached itself from the body, it stood no chance against the Garrador. Despite it's acid, the creature couldn't fight off the large monster. The Ganador began stomping the creature, grunting with what sounded like a laugh.

The second monk stupidly thought it could stop the Ganador, big mistake. He took both claws and impaled the monk. But he wasn't done with the dying man. With a shiver of pleasure, he brought more gore and pain to the monk. He used all of his strength to rip from side to side, literally splitting the religious zealot and revealing all his organs, along with the parasite. His intestines fell to the floor and disintegrated as the body plopped down, it to followed suit. But the parasite was alive and kicking, leaping out and quickly crawling up the Ganador's front, easily dodging the annoyed Gladiator's attempts to brush it off.

The parasite then began to spurt acid down on it's gladiator helmet, melting the metal slowly. The Ganador gave a shriek as the droplets of acid and it's hot melted helmet began to take its tole. He quickly charged the cage, his head bent down. Brown gunk and blood splattered the wall beside the gaping Claire Redfield. The parasite fell to the ground, shriveling up like a dying spider before melting. The gladiator straitened up, but then stumbled. He was very unsteady after that little encounter.

BANG!

Claire and her brother jumped at the loud sound. Leon stood at the entrance, his rifle in hand. He slowly backed away as the monster flailed around, the tentacles from the puss pocket started to settle down. As Leon made his way around, he watched as the Ganador unsheathed his claws and began whirling around, trying to find him.

BOOM!

Chris stood close to the bars, his rifle smoking from the shot he just made. He slowly made his way to the right. Now, Leon was strategically on the left while Chris was on the left side of the cage. Claire stood near the door that led to the dining room, her shotgun out for whatever trouble that may come.

Leon fired again, not giving the monster a moments peace. The Ganador roared in pain as he stumbled toward the opening out of the cage. Chris saw this and fired, but missed by a fraction as the bullet just hit the meaty arm of the Ganador. Leon cursed aloud before he could stop himself.

The Ganador yelled in furry as it finally located one of the sources of its painful wounds to its connected parasite. Leon ran as the Ganador followed. Claire saw the danger heading her way, and ran also. She quickly slid underneath the set table, knowing that if she didn't find a place to duck and cover, she would be the creature's next victim. As Leon jumped to the left out in the dining room. The Ganador didn't notice and just kept running forward, smashing his claws into the table.

Claire felt the whoosh as the blades nearly sliced her face. Just one more centimeter, and she would have been dead. Leon watched with growing pain, fearing that Claire was hurt. He slowly stood up and raised his gun. Chris, who had quickly made his way to the door, aimed his Riot gun at its sweet spot. The Ganador began the progress of trying to pull his stuck claws from the decorated table. The lethal man made weapon never got the chance as Chris and Leon fired at his parasite. The bubbling pocked on his back burst, leaving yellow, puss, blood, and flesh on the tiled floor.

He grunted one last time and collapsed on the table, his breathing stopping all together. Claire cautiously crawled out from underneath the table, shaken from yet another Ganador encounter. She heard the relieved sounds from Chris and Leon as she slowly stepped around the dead Ganador, her eyes glued to it's grotesque body. Without seeing, she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. The arms themselves were shaking. She tore her eyes from the monster and looked down at the bands of steel. They did not belong to her dear brother.

"Claire... I almost got you killed... God, are you... I-"

"Shhhhhh... It's okay, Leon. Everything is fine. We're all alive. And hey, no scratches or bruises this time," she said in a soothing voice.

Leon reluctantly slowly released her as he went over to pick up his rifle. Although things were still tense between them, at least she knew he still cared for her safety. Of course, Leon cared about everyones safety. That was just Leon being Leon. Claire turned to find her brother standing there, giving her that scared brother look. He lifted a hand and touched her cheek. Another close call in the Redfields life.

"Great, more ganados," Leon said, catching the siblings attention. More Ganados had dropped from the ceiling, now confident that the big Gladiator was now dead. The three charged the growing number, killing every last Ganado without mercy.

**R**

Sheila shivered from the cold, crisp night air. Being in a sleeveless white blouse and shorts was not the best attire to be running around in this November weather. She shivered even more when she saw the Evil Garden of Doom. The moonlight and the torches made it a more eerie sight. She hoped the group passed through and took care of business. Both Luis and herself didn't feel like being chased by Salazar's pets anymore.

"Guess your friends passed through, princessa. Shouldn't be much longer now," Luis said while letting her step inside first.

He saw the relief in her eyes as she entered the dimly lit room. He followed, looking around for any ammo. Of course there was not any, which didn't improve Luis's solemn mood. He was running low on ammo, and he knew that Sheila was running pretty low herself_. _

_Maybe the heroes cleared the rooms up ahead. It certainly would make it a hell of a lot easier for us_.

Luis watched as Sheila was clearly admiring the room. He didn't admire it so much since it belonged to the Little-Principe-Of-All-Suck-Ups. He'll never forget when he was taken a tour of the castle, with Ramon as his guide that enjoyed showing off the ancient castle. When he brought him to this room, he'll never forget the snobbish air Salazar put on. Talking nonsense about giving him - a peasant scientist - the privilege of seeing his room... Little twerp.

"Wow, Salazar knows how to spend his money," Sheila commented. The room was beautiful, but clearly not in use like it used to be. Done with her admiring, she turned and said, "Okay, I'm done exploring. Let's getty on up, little doggy!"

Luis gave her a puzzled look as he followed the girl through the small room where the Ruby mirror was.

_Getty on up, little doggy? What dog; and am I the dog? Heh. Americans and their strange sayings._

When they crossed through, they noticed the typewriter.

"Hey, another one! Maybe Chris left another message," Sheila said with excitement.

She quickly looked at the sheet and found it blank. The teen gave a disappointed look to Luis.

He tilted his head and asked, "No funny message from the stubborn one?"

Sheila gave a dramatic sigh and shook her head. She then gave him a devilish look and said, "No, but that doesn't mean I can't leave a mark of my own."

She then began typing, happy that she was making a mark in the Resident Evil world. Now, if she could meet Billy Coen and convince him to have tattooed "Sheila Rulz!" on his arm with a cool, barb wire covering a heart... Okay, this place is making her a little crazy like its said occupants. Sheila stopped typing, and gave Luis a smirk.

"May I read it," Luis asked.

Sheila stepped aside and gave him a perfect view of her little masterpiece.

He read aloud, "Chris may have kicked butt back there, but I'm the true master of the crappy castle. Signed, Sheila, Queen of all of Spain! Fear me!... Wow, you and Chris are really too much alike," Luis joked as he opened the door.

Sheila gave him a cheerful smile as she passed. Her thoughts turned to the typewriter they came across a little while ago.

They had found a typewriter with a little something from Chris. It read, "I came, I saw, I conquered. None ranks higher than me in kicking Ganado a-s! Signed, Chris Redfield the Zombie killer."

Yeah, Chris has a big ego. He He!

**Some minutes later...**

"Wow... What a richy looking room," Sheila commented in a low voice.

They were in the dining room now, the fancy smancy one. It was a place Sheila could picture herself having a nice dinner with the family in... Then she would start a food fight! Heheheheheeeee! Sometimes, the child in all of us must come out to play.

"Well, Salazar enjoys flashing his money around. His whole family did. Guess that's what some people do when they come from old money," Luis said with a clear indication of disgust.

From what Sheila gathered from the game and Luis's words, he didn't come from a high money background. He was the type who worked hard to put himself through college. She smiled at the thought. Just like her, working for money to go to college and to follow her dreams... Suddenly, she wished that some of her more wealthier family lived near her!

"Well, well. We're on the right track, Sheila. Looks like your friends cleaned out this area for us," Luis said with a grin.

Sheila nodded her head, seeing the dead Ganador on the second dining table. She did not want to know how he got there or how he somehow got out of the cage. The important thing was that this freak was dead.

_Guess Leon isn't as good when he's not being controlled by me! Ha-ha! After all, he doesn't have the master controlling him... Prideful much? Heh! Well, at least they're alive. I don't have to worry about them since they have each other. What I should really be doing is worrying over me and Luis_. _'Cause being Saddler's puppet while good lookin' here get impaled by the eyebrow-less psycho isn't something to look forward to. _

Sheila was pulled from her thoughts when Luis's voice called out to her.

"Say what," Sheila asked as she quickly ran into the room where Luis was.

"I asked if we should move on or explore the other room? It may hold supplies," Luis said as he leaned against the cage.

If her memory was correct, the other room had gold bars, herbs, possibly some ammo, and a stupid snake. All in all, it had possibilities.

She quickly turned and answered, "Well, we might as well go check it out. Who knows, maybe the others didn't check it out, leaving us the items... If there is any, that is."

So, together they left the red room and decided to go to the ever so nice, item room! And to Sheila's surprise, the others did not go through there, (yippee!) leaving them the spoils. She opened the sliding door in the small table next to the door. And just like the game, the two gold bars were there. She smiled as she picked the two heavy, bars of gold. In her original home, she never saw go this large mass of gold up close. Now, since she somehow is living the game, she has twice found the gold bars. And this time, she was going to keep it! Well, she'll split it with Luis. The strange look he was giving her called for a small bribe, to erase the suspicion at her uncanny way of knowing where treasures were hidden.

As she offered one bar of gold, he refused politely as he gathered up some ammo. The teen shrugged her shoulders and stuffed them in her leather pouch. It was getting really heavy, telling her it was about time for a upgrade for her Punisher. She could hardly wait! Walking across the room, she continued ignoring the decay and cobwebs as she looked at the two glass pots. Now, which one had the snake?

She pointed her gun at the pot to the left, then to the right. Her mind was a little fuzzy on that point... Stupid snake_. _

_What if there is no snake? So far, I haven't seen any snakes as long as I have been here. If I smash the pots, there could possibly be a item in them. But on the other hand, one of those things would be pretty angry that I- _

"Admiring the vases," Luis asked amusingly. Sheila lowered her gun and quickly came up with a excuse.

"I thought that there might be a snake in one of these vases. I, uh, have a feeling," she tried to explain. Luis raised one eyebrow, giving her the 'Are you crazy?' look. She looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Well, even if there is a snake, it would be cruel to-"

SMASH!

Sheila jumped at the sound of the vase to the right breaking. Luis had picked up the vase and dropped it on the ground. And low and behold, there was a evil looking reptile, it's forked tongue tasting the air. It looked exactly like the ones on the game. Sheila shouted as both she and Luis began stomping on the thing. It tried to bite them, but they quickly dispatched it.

Luis patted her shoulder and said, "We experimented on water moccasins down in the village, and also in the labs here in the castle. We came up with a poison-less snake, but the side affects were that it came extra aggressive, attacking a person over and over. That's why you never stop to think when you come up on one of these reptiles."

Sheila didn't argue. Growing up in Georgia taught her many things. One of these things is to watch where you step, sit or take swam in. You never know when a poisonous snake is near by. She watched as Luis shot the padlock off the iron door. Now, everyone can go through safely and get the broken Butterfly when the time came for it. Piece of cake!

"Hmm, this leads to where we came through earlier. No need to go back just yet. Let's go back to our other route now that we stocked up a bit on supplies," Luis suggested as he closed the door. Sheila agreed and followed her handsome companion out of the room. There waiting for them, were more Ganados...

"Aie! Yie yie!"

**R**

"Leon! Ten o'clock!" Chris shouted as a Ganado fired his bow-gun.

Leon ducked after hearing his warning, and shot the sniper. The man fell and landed with a sickening sound, his skull shattering on the marble floor.

Chris turned his attention back to the shield wilding Ganados in front of him. Since Claire and Leon were down there fighting their own battles, Chris was on the small bridge fighting off several Ganados on his own. He had killed four, but more seemed to keep coming, which really wasn't surprising. He noticed the oil lamp hanging above their heads, perfect for a little fire damage.

Chris raised his Blacktail and fired. Glass, oil and fire covered the two monks and their Shields, both immediately catching on fire. They dropped the burning shields and tried to put out the flame, both failing. He shot one in it's flaming head, killing it instantly. The other attempted to charge despite his flaming body. Chris fired twice, causing the Ganado to stumble and fall off the bridge. He landed on a red robed monk that had it's fully grown parasite emerging from it's human neck.

It screamed as it was pinned under the flaming body. The parasite caught on fire, causing ear splitting screams to fill the air. It quickly detached itself from the human host's body, and fled toward the ladder. It's body now starting to get crispy from the hot flames that consumed it without mercy. Chris fired once, causing it's body to shatter. It disintegrated, the fluids putting out the small fire.

Leon and Claire looked up at Chris, but he wasn't there. They heard more gunshots from behind the bars. There, they witnessed Chris with his Sniper rifle on the balcony, picking off the stragglers. Soon, everything was quiet.

Chris jumped down and walked over to the crank.

"Hold on, I'll raise the gate," Chris said while grabbing the crank.

He began to turn it, the crank moving easily for the strong Ex-STARS member. Soon, in no time at all, the gate rose up, allowing easy access for the team. Leon's eyes grew huge when he saw the Rocket Launcher in the glass case.

_Now that is what I call a weapon_!

"Go ahead, Kennedy. Take it. I already got one and Claire doesn't have the space for it. So, it's yours," Chris said as he looked for more items in the room.

Leon grinned and broke the glass with the butt end of his Blacktail. He then slowly reached for the Rocket Launcher, his hands gently lifting the weapon like it was a beloved baby. The weapon was heavy and large, just right for the happy agent. It even had a strap so he could put it over his shoulder if he wanted.

When he opened his case, he frowned to see that he didn't have enough room for his new toy. He sighed and tried rearranging items. If he put his Rifle in the case, he could put the Launcher over his shoulder. That will work. But when he did this, he felt a bit awkward. Both the Riot gun and the Rocket Launcher put him off balance.

"I see you need an upgrade, Stranger. Come into the next room. I have something for ya," the mysterious merchant spoke, startling the trio.

He smirked as he walked back to the door and entered the somewhat long but small room. Quickly, he made his way to the wooden bench. He got behind it and waited patiently for his costumers. His dog Wolf, was sprawled out under the bench, asleep.

He grinned under the mask as the trio stopped in front of him. He chuckled and said, "I got more stuff on sale Strangers. Heh. Heh. Heh."

He laid out the XL case and beamed at the relieved look on the agents face. Leon quickly bought it, and immediately began to put all his weapons and stuff in durable case. Chris bought some more flash grenades and Incendiary grenades, knowing that they would be needed yet again sometime in the future. Claire was busy petting Wolf, who was enjoying the belly scratch.

"My mutt likes ya, lass. If you keep petting him, you'll spoil him," the merchant chuckled warmly as Claire smiled up at him.

It was nice to see a normal dog for a change. Leon gave a small smile at the animal that helped him out. Although he did wander, where has the dog been all this time and how did he get here? Does he use the same method as the merchant? This smells like a conspiracy- His eyes widened at the thought.

_Now I've begun to think like Sheila... Heaven help us all!_

Leon quickly asked for a upgrade for his Blacktail. After that was done, he gave the dog a uncertain look as he said, "I think we should get going now."

The merchant stopped them and said as an after thought, "You know, I didn't think to give this to you earlier after the garden incident. Surviving that just proves that you three will win in the end. So here is your prize!"

He passed out three blue envelopes.

The three curiously opened the envelope and looked at the fancy cards. It was a free pass to the Merchants Shooting Gallery. They gave each other puzzled looks. Why they would go to a shooting gallery when they were on a life or death mission was a question that they wanted to ask the man, but didn't. It may not be on their agenda, but they didn't want to offend the merchant.

"We'll be happy to stop by, once we find the girls," Claire spoke for them.

The merchant nodded his head and replied, "Good! It's not here, but somewhere else. I'll tell you when we meet further on in the castle. Stay alive, Strangers!"

They walked off and opened the door.

**R**

"OH CRAP!" Sheila screamed as she was being chased around the dinner table.

Between Luis and herself, they killed about six Ganados. But the evil doers still came as if they were spawned from hell itself. They were yet again low on ammo and still outnumbered by the enemy. And now, Luis was fighting off three Ganados while a red robed one with a shiny helmet was chasing her around that blasted dining room table! Do they ever need a breather?

"Hold on, Sheila. I'm coming to save you! Hey! That was my favorite vest!"

Luis uppercuts the Ganado who just tore his silk vest. You can plant a parasite egg in him, call him names, even try to kill him. But you never tear a expensive, real silk vest that a Spaniard scientist is wearing. He grabbed a candle and shoved it into the open monks mouth. He of course screamed and ran into his brethren. Luis took this distraction and shot the helmet wearing monk that was chasing the red head.

"Let's get out of here," Luis grunted as he grabbed her hand.

They made a break for the door and didn't look back as they left the red room. The injured Ganados shook off their pain and proceeded after them, but stopped suddenly. The red robed helmet wearing one turned his head and said in a reverent, hypnotizing tone, "Lord Saddler."

Saddler lowered his staff and walked calmly to his followers. He had watched the scene and was completely fed up with the way things were being handled. Time to step in and retrieve the sample himself.

He spoke in a firm tone as he spoke in Spanish. This is what he said when translated in to English, "You have failed me yet again, my children. It's time for your Lord to take care of this small problem. If I am pulled away from the island yet again... I'll have you eat your own beating hearts! Stay here while I take care of Sera."

With that said, Saddler took off. His speed would surprise a person who didn't know about Las Plagas or of the cult and its interests. His age surely didn't show when he was running.

**R**

Leon's eyes searched the large room as they slowly walked around. Suddenly, the door was knocked open, startling the trio. To everyones relief, there stood Luis with a vile in his hand and Sheila clutching his other arm.

"Leon, I got it! Oooof!"

Luis flew down, hitting the stone floor hard. He dropped the vile, it miraculously it didn't shatter.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sheila screamed as a large, slimy, pinkish grayish tentacle wrapped around her waist, lifting her like she weighed less than a china doll. It's sharp claw on the end laid against her stomach, scaring her even more.

"SHEILA," Claire screamed as Leon raised his gun.

He fired at the tentacle, but it only seemed to tick off the owner, who began to squeeze the frightened teen.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Leon," the smooth, evil voice said as the owner stepped through the door.

"Saddler," Leon spat out as Chris raised his Riot gun. The air was tense with all the hostility.

Saddler smirked as his eyes turned to the scientist on the floor. His smirk turned into a sneer.

"You betrayed me, Luis. Destroying the parasite inside of you is one thing, but taking the sample is a whole other matter! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You disappoint me. I had such high hopes for you. Now, you will die," he said evenly, his eyes never leaving the frightened scientist.

His large tentacle threw Sheila at the trio, knocking them down. The tentacle raised high in the air, ready to spear our favorite scientist. Suddenly, a bullet ripped through the tentacle. Several more followed. Saddler hissed and turned his attention to the one who shot him. It was Sheila, her smoking Punisher pointed now at his head.

"Leave him alone, ya poor excuse for a super villain," she said with a determined look.

Saddler laughed, and retreated his tentacle. He then picked up the vile and backed away.

"You Americans amuse me! So defiant, so heroic. I'll keep you around a little longer. I don't get much entertainment like this, these days," he said with a amused glance. He then turned his attention back to Luis and said coldly, "You serve me no purpose. I have the vile back... And soon, your life! As for the rest of you, my boy Salazar will take care of each of you without mercy."

The door closed behind him, leaving them to gather their thoughts. Sheila ran over to Luis and lent him a hand. He took it gratefully as she pulled him up. But he soon looked away, ashamed that he didn't react when he should have.

Sheila touched his arm and said, "Stop brooding over what just happened! Show everyone what we found."

Luis looked down and smiled.

"Here. This is the medicine that will help you with your convulsions. It won't kill the parasites, but it will suppress their growth," he said while throwing the bottle over to Leon.

He caught it and looked at the bottle. Inside were red and white capsules, large ones at that.

"You have to take them dry, so prepare for a disgusting after taste," Sheila said with a queasy look.

Claire and Chris walked forward, their eyes were unbelieving. They had hoped and believed, but to see her alive and well was a different thing. Chris was the one who grabbed her and squeezed, not wanting to let her go.

"Heh! As much as I love all the attention, could you let me go? Jeez, I... can't breath!" Sheila said as she felt the air in her being restricted once again by a Redfield.

Chris released her with a sheepish smile. Next thing Sheila knew, Claire grabbed her and gave an equally bear hug. The teen rolled her eyes and again fought for air.

_Dang! These Redfields are strong!_

Claire finally let her go and wiped a tear away.

"I'm sorry. God, I'm sooo sorry for failing you," Claire whispered.

Sheila took her hand in her own and said, "Now don't you go blaming yourself! It wasn't your fault that a bunch of bug people grabbed me and tried to take me to the midget man. I'm okay! So no more tears."

Claire gave a chuckle and squeezed her hand.

Leon approached and gave her a hug, though he chose not to squeeze her to death like the others. Sheila gave a dreamy smile. Hey, he has muscles! What girl wouldn't sigh when a muscled guy gives ya a nice hug. Especially with ripped abs like Leon has. If Chris would have eased up when hugging her, she would have given the same sigh!

"Glad to see you alive, Red. Now, how did you get away? And how did you meet up with Luis," Leon asked while looking over at the mention Spaniard.

Sheila finally stepped back from Leon's warm hug and looked at Luis. This was going to be a long explanation.

But before she could say anything, a familiar voice cried out, "HEY! Did everybody forget about me?"

"Ashley," Leon cried out, and ran over to the side.

There was Ashley, still trapped. She struggled with no avail against the metal rings that imprisoned her.

"Please, help me," she cried out in a scared voice.

Sheila pointed to the middle of the room and said, "Leon! You can shoot the rings with your rifle over there!"

Leon nodded but first tried out the wooden, ancient door. It was locked.

"Sniping it is," he said and ran around to the small stairs that led to the middle of the room. He took out his powerful rifle and aimed at the medal rings.

"NO! Leon don't," Ashley screamed as she saw where this was going.

BANG!

Ashley let out a scream as the ring around her feet shattered from the impact of the high caliber bullet.

BANG!

She screamed even louder as the one in the middle shattered next. Leon took a deep breath to steady his nerves. The blond continued to make her protests, despite that this was her ticket to freedom, He aimed for the last ring and fired. Ashley broke free, not one scratch from the bullets. She looked up, breathing hard.

After wiping off her sweater, she said with a smile, "Talk about a near death experience!"

Leon smiled, but soon everyones relief diminished as the medal doors down below opened to reveal Ganados.

Leon cursed and yelled, "Chris, I need some back up!"

"Way ahead of you, Leon," Chris shouted back as he knelled down on the right, his rifle poised and ready.

Sheila bit her lip as the two began to take out the advancing Ganados. Her heart was clamoring in her chest as she watched the guys snipe the monks that were coming for the blond. This was way more nerve wracking than in the game. Poor Ashley could really be taken away! She leaned over further, her feet disturbing some loose stones from the broken stone banisters. Some rubble fell on a advancing monk, alerting his attention.

He pointed and cried, "Michaela!"

"Sheila! Get away from there," Claire scolded as she grabbed the girl.

Sheila obeyed, but stood close by as Leon and Chris killed what seemed to be the last monk. Claire watched as Ashley ran over to the door on Leon's left and tried to open it.

"Guys! It's locked," Ashley wailed.

Just then, the sliding door opened again to reveal a red robed priest with four snipers. He pointed and yelled at Ashley, causing him to take a bullet int the chest. His parasite was a full grown one, so he took the bullet rather well. He ran and hid behind a crumbling columns while his cross-bow barring snipers fired at Leon.

Ashley ran back to where she was imprisoned and crouched in a fetal position, afraid and feeling completly helpless. Chris and Leon were having a hard time killing the snipers since they kept running from colemn to colemn, avoiding their gun fire.

_"If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were once army men," _Chris thought as he failed again to kill a sniper.

Claire noticed that more Ganados were approaching Ashley. So she aimed and fired, killing one. The other hissed and ran over to a column nearby. But he was quickly pushed back out by the red robed priest, making the poor Ganado a target. Leon shot the Ganado, killing him. Sheila shook her head at the sight. For a cult, these priests were not very caring for their sheep.

"Finally," Chris said after nailing one sniper in the head, killing him instantly.

Sheila yet again edged closer to the edge and fired at a Ganado that was sneaking toward Ashley. He fell to the ground, Claire finishing him off.

"I thought I told you to-" Claire didn't finish when the three snipers fired at her.

She barely dodged them, getting angry at the situation. Luis, who was watching the whole thing, began helping, shooting from the left side. He killed one sniper, leaving two left. The red robed priest panicked and ran toward Ashley, hoping that the others would not shoot if he grabbed the girl. He was wrong.

He fell before the screaming girl, bleeding to death from both Chris's and Leon's shots. He melted away, revealing a key.

"Ashley, there's the key! Grab the-" Sheila didn't finish when the crumbling floor beneath her feet gave away, taking her almost with it.

She screamed as she barely held on with one hand. In her other hand she clutched her gun. She heard Claire yell, but couldn't understand with her heart hammering in her ears. She looked down and saw the long drop, knowing she was about to die. Claire ran to her aid and tried to grab her, but the floor gave way some more, taking Sheila with it.

Sheila fell, hearing everyone scream her name. Her life passed before her eyes as she plummeted toward the ground. She wished that she was dreaming, that she would be back in her bed, just having a nightmare about her favorite games. But even she knew that the wish wouldn't come true. She closed her eyes, ready to feel deaths blow, but instead, she fell on two Ganados who cushioned her fall. Although the air was knocked from her, she was alive!

She felt the Ganados melting underneath her. She rolled over and just laid there.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The last of the Ganados were killed, leaving a scared Ashley and a stunned Sheila alone down there.

"SHEILA! SHEILA WAKE UP!" Chris yelled, not wanting to believe she was dead. He closed his eyes in relief as Sheila slowly got up, alive.

"Girls, grab the key and get out of there!" Luis yelled.

Ashley, who got out of her fetal position, grabbed the key and ran over to Sheila to see if she needed help. Sheila just gave her a thumbs up and ran with her to the door, some what wobbly. The blond put the key inside the door, and turned it.

Both girls looked up and gave a final look at the brave people upstairs. They both hoped to survive whatever was to come. Sheila nearly groaned. Reunited with Ashley... And it did not feel so good!

**Authors Note: O.K., there you have it! This chapter was delayed due to my computer not allowing me hardly on the INTERNET. When I did get on, I could only write a little bit due to the Internet service freezing up. We got it working again, but I'm still wary of it. As for my other story, I'm still working on it so I just wanted everyone to know that I didn't forget about my other crazy story! Next chapter will be up soon for that story! As for theories, I'll be posting them in the next chapter of this story, so more to come! You know the drill, review or no cookies for you! He he!**


	27. Chapter 26: Alone in the Dark

**Authors Note: Here we go with another chapter. Now, this one will be a dozy. It'll be creepy do to the certain nature of this part of the game. I always get creep-ed out when it comes up to the Armaduras. So, keep in mind that although there will be humor, it'll definitely reflect my feelings on this part of the game. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 26: Alone in the Dark**

Chris paced back and forth on the worn stone floor. Knowing that the girls were facing dangers alone was a hard thing to grasp. What was worse is knowing that you can't do anything about it.

Leon watched Chris pace, seeing the thunderous look on his face. It spoke volumes along with his body language on not just his feelings, but the rest of the them. Frustration, fear, worry; a toxic emotional cocktail for the group. All of them felt it, tasted it, and dealt with it in their own way. Chris with his endless pacing, Claire with her staring contest with the door down below that the girls just went through, and Luis with his endless inspection of his Red-nine old gun.

Leon cocked his head and watched the Spaniard. He knew he was never a cop, his story just didn't check out with his actions. After finding his lab research on those bugs, he felt his suspicions were confirmed. What was it with scientists? Every one that he has had the displeasure of meeting in his life were either trying to unleash a virus, or trying to kill him. At least Luis showed some back bone and tried to help them... In his own way.

Luis felt that he was being watched, a feeling he has come to know very well. He looked up and saw a pair of steely, ice blue eyes staring him down.

"So, you were never a cop."

It wasn't a question. Luis kept his eyes locked with the agent's. Chris stopped pacing and Claire stopped her brooding and watched the scene unfold.

"Si. I am a lab researcher... Hired by Saddler," came his quiet response.

Leon didn't say anything, letting Luis take the floor. Luis felt the remorse and shame stir in his stomach, a feeling that he carried like a cross.

"I am not a rich man. The only reason I got out of this region was because I worked hard and became a exchange student. With the help of grants and a good job in America, I graduated from a decent college. I researched on everything to get my name out there. It worked. Saddler contacted me, offering a opportunity of a life time, which were the exact words he used. He offered free room and board, a large salary, and the position to be the head researcher of a parasite that has never been named or documented. He told me it was extinct, so no worries in that area," he stopped to take a deep breath before continuing.

"When I came back to this area where I grew up, I thought surely that I was in heaven. I had a great job that could give me the Nobel Peace Prize, and I would get to see my dying grandfather. But things soon changed." Luis stopped, trying to find the strength to go on. Leon waited patiently, not wanting to push. Chris was the one who asked the question on every ones minds.

"What changed?"

Luis shifted uneasily. He couldn't tell them the whole truth, not now. To tell them that he took an offer to steal the sample and hand it over to an unknown organization was simply not smart. So, he carefully gave one side of the story.

"It was a series of events that opened my eyes. My grandfather died soon after I arrived here. His death blew me away, driving me to give my entire being into the study of Las Plagas. I admit, I looked away on certain subjects, especially the human ones. I was so fascinated by the parasite, that I helped with certain creations you have faced. Not bragging, but my research is the backbone of all Saddler's power. So you see, I'm just as responsible for all that is happening here. And that reason is what opened my eyes. But, I was to afraid to resist Saddler, knowing that my life is in a mad man's hands."

He gave a bitter smile. Funny, confessing what he had done really helped lesson his guilt somewhat. But only a bit. He continued.

"Soon after, I was forced to receive an injection that contained a egg of the parasite. But, I took the medicine I developed earlier in my research and killed it before it hatched. I acted as if I was one of them for a time, trying to come up with a plan to escape. But, to make my whole ordeal short, my plans were uncovered and I was captured."

Everyone was silent, letting the info sink in. Leon spoke first.

"Sounds like you had it ruff. I just got one question... Why did you steal the sample?"

Luis almost smiled. He saw that coming miles away. He walked slowly over, his eyes never leaving Leon's. When he stood a few feet away, he gave his answer.

"This parasite sample is not a ordinary one. It's a queen, like the one in Saddler. You don't want that one in the wrong hands, my friend."

Leon stopped drilling him and studied him. His training taught him that Luis was not telling him the whole story, but there was a grain of truth in his words. The thought that maybe, this is the reason why Ada was there crossed him mind. And it refused to leave.

**R**

Sheila and Ashley has been standing in the same spot for five minutes. Why? Because when they first entered, a Ganado was very close by, if you recall in the game. Now, Sheila knew he wouldn't come after them till they made their presence known, but like I said before, this is not just a game anymore. It's real and very dangerous. There would be no retries if they died or were overpowered by the cult members. So, frozen with fear, the two remained where they were, clutching each others arm.

Sheila could feel the circulation in her arm start to dwindle from Ashley's tight hold. She gently released Ashley's arm and tried to get the girl to do the same. But the blond would not get the hint. Sheila tried again, this time, pinching her hand. Ashley came out of her daze and let the younger girl's arm go. She rubbed her arm, seeing the red marks of Ashley's grip had left left behind. If it wasn't for the monks standing around, she would have smacked the girl for that.

Sighing, Sheila began to take in her surroundings, finding the room odd and somewhat unsettling. It was dimly lit by candles here and there, casting a eerie glow. The room itself was weird. There was what looked like above ground graves to her right which didn't make since. Maybe they weren't graves, but standing there and looking at the large, decorative stone objects reminded her of all the Vampire movies she saw in her lifetime. She shivered, and looked away to gaze at the tall statue of a some somber looking guy. It reminded her of a Shakespeare statue, only uglier. The bars surrounding the statue seemed bizarre. Who would steal that thing? Scratch that. Who would try and break in a creepy, Ganado infested castle to steel a piece of marble in the shape of a mutated carving of a Greek God?

Shaking her head, she looked over at Ashley who had walked over to the archway, looking pale. Sheila knew she wasn't the only one who was creep-ed out.

She silently walked over to Ashley, and brought out her gun. Their eyes met, coming to a mutual understanding. Time to work together... or die. Sheila aimed her gun, the laser dot trailing up the chanting monk. Her aim was wobbly, which was understandable since she was still learning how to use the gun. She was trying to decide if she should shoot him in the head, or in the knees. A head shot wasn't worth the risk of letting the parasite emerge. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself to prepare for the recoil from the gun, and fired.

The bullet did not meet its mark. Instead, it hit the man's thigh, which only alerted the monk and everything near of the girls presence. He placed a hand over the flesh wound and turned his red eyes on the girls.

"Ashley, run!"

Both girls separated as they ran into the clean, well lighted room. Sheila didn't have time to check out it's lavishly decorated library since she was now being chased by the monk. He didn't seem to appreciate to being shot, so of course he would chase her. She fired of a round or two but missed , since the monk dodged it with a laugh. Sheila began to wander if Ashley would somehow help, when out of the blue a lamp was flung in her direction. Sheila screamed and ducked, the lamp flying where her head just was. She heard the crackle of the lamp breaking, setting the monk on fire.

He screamed and fell to the ground, and started rolling. Sheila got out of the way and ran over to the blond by the small desk. She grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled,"You almost killed me!" Ashley pushed her off and said,"On the contrary, I just saved your life! You were the one who stepped in the line of fire!"

"Why you little!"

"Errrrrg!"

The girls stopped their bickering to see that the monk was actually getting up, his flesh burnt and shriveled from the fire. Sheila held her gun up and ordered, "Ashley, go over to the tables and get the second lamp ready."

Ashley obeyed as Sheila stayed to occupy the monk. She knew her gun was not powerful enough to put him down with a couple of shots.

The monk turned his blood red eyes over to Ashley, and lunged for her. She quickly crawled underneath the table; putting distance between them. Sheila fired at the sluggish Ganado, who now started to cry out in pain. He turned and slowly made his way to the quivering teen. Sheila stopped shooting when she realized that the monk was in her direct sight of Ashley. Meaning that if she fired off some rounds, the bullets would go threw him and kill the President's daughter. She didn't like Ashley, but that didn't mean she wanted her dead.

Instead of shooting, she began to back away from the small wooden desk, hoping Ashley would take charge. She did. She threw the second lamp, setting the already crispy monk on fire. He let out a groan as his body was engulfed in flames. His dying breath came out as a gurgle as he fell to the floor, disintegrating away. Sheila looked up at Ashley and smiled. And surprisingly, the young woman actually smiled herself, giving Sheila a view of her pearly whites. Their triumph was ruined when the steel bars that blocked them from entering was starting to rise.

Sheila saw that the other monk was busy turning the crank. Ashley whimpered as she quickly ran to Sheila's side.

"Now what do we do," Ashley asked in a panicked voice.

Sheila grabbed her arm and quickly led her around the large gathered book cases, pointing to what was underneath the small table. Ashley bent down and saw the small hole that would lead them into the next room. Not what she had in mind, but what other choice did they have?

Sheila went first since she had the only weapon, and quickly ran over to the beautiful desk next to the book case. The monk gave a surprised cry when he was suddenly engulfed in flames. Sheila gave a whoop of joy for surprising the monk. She began to shoot, trying to finish him off. As she did this, Ashley ran over to the corner. There were two tables set in a L shape, making a little square corner that would block the monk from getting to her. (Well, in the game it did.) She quickly crawled under the low tables and grabbed the lamp.

Sheila winced when she heard the sound of the man's head exploding, revealing a fully matured parasite. It was what she feared would happen since they entered this section of the castle. She knew that the lamps would not be enough to kill this monster. Heck, her gun would barely be enough

_Think girl! Come on! There's got to be something you can do_!

Sheila turned her attention to the canape bed. The beautiful, heavy, blue blanket gave her a stupid, crazy idea...

"I'm going to die," Sheila said with finality as she ran across the room. The Las Plagas chased after her, making Ashley shriek in fear for her Nemesis.

She held up the lamp, ready to throw it when Sheila ordered, "Not yet!"

She watched as Sheila tugged at the covers. Ashley couldn't help but think yet again that this girl was really crazy! But she didn't voice her thoughts. That would just bring torture to herself later on.

Sheila finally got the covers off, but to her horror the parasite was only four feet away from her. NOT GOOD! She got on top of the bed and tried to fire the gun with one hand. It didn't work out at all. She almost fell back from the recoil, although the recoil isn't as big as the other guns. She dropped the blankets and began firing at the parasite. She missed a couple of times, due to her shaky hands, but she got in a few shots. The parasite now fell to its human knees. It kneel-ed right before her, blocking her escape.

She threw the covers on the parasite, and shouted, "NOW!"

Ashley threw the lamp and nailed her target. The blankets caught fire, the parasite shrieking as it was engulfed by the flames. But this plan had a draw back. Sheila stood there, still trapped. She covered her mouth from the smell of burning flesh as she leaned back, still on the bed. The parasite stood up and tried to escape from it's prison, but the blankets prohibited that from happening. At long last, it fell to the beautiful carpet in the middle of the room, and seemingly died.

Sheila jumped off the bed and walked over to the burning blankets, now nothing but fuel for the fire. The carpet started to catch on fire, but Sheila quickly stomped it out. Soon, the fire died down, revealing nothing but a charred parasite and burnt remained of the rug. Sheila cocked her head and wandered why it didn't disappear. After all, the human body did. She felt Ashley's presence next to her.

"Come on, let's go," Ashley pleaded.

Sheila stepped away and nodded. The sooner they got this done, the sooner they would be reunited with the others. She ran over to the right crank as Ashley ran over to the left. Together, they began to work hard at turning the cranks, slowly moving the rusty bars from blocking from further progress. The teen grunted as she felt every muscle protest as she turned the crank. Her back was spasming from her earlier fall, her feet ached from no rest, and her scratched from earlier stung. She didn't want to admit it, but she was ready to cry from exhaustion. And making her cry was not easy.

No crying gratefully happened, the bars now lifted. But she knew that what lay up ahead was something that was dangerous and extremely tricky. Something that without the others, could possibly make this the last night of her teenager life. The Armaduras!

"Um, let's search the room first," Sheila said in a rush. Ashley turned unbelieving eyes toward the red head.

"Search the room? Are you crazy!"

Sheila crossed her arms, showing that her mind was already made up. Ashley put her hands on her hips and gave the stubborn red head a withering stare.

"In case you have forgotten, I've been held prisoner in that trap for over an hour! I want to get the heck out of here, so we are going to leave this room and never come back."

Sheila ignored her and put the safety back on her gun before putting it back in the back of her pants. She then closed the distance between the taller girl and herself and spoke in a menacing voice.

"You're not the only one who has been having a crappy time. After you ran into that trap, me and the others went through the sewer-ey dungeons and faced off with creatures that would make your pretty blond hair turn white. You had it easy! I'm the one who was kidnapped by the Novistadors, the bug people! I was then taken far away from everyone, with no hope of rescue. I barely escaped with my life, but thanks to Luis, I'm here now talking to you. So don't try to compare what you're going through with me!"

Ashley rolled her eyes and said nothing else.

Sheila calmed herself down and continued, "Listen, let's just give a quick lookey-loo around to see if we can find anything of use for the others. We at least owe them that."

Ashley folded her arms and resumed to pouting. Sheila took that as her consent and began snooping. Since she knew where everything was in the game, she went straight to those places. She first opened up the old, dark mahogany cupboard next to the bed. Inside she found two boxes of pesetas, tossing Ashley a triumphant look.

The blond huffed and began her own search. She had to admit, someone had taste in decoration for this particular room. Books, a couple of paintings, and the carpets were all beautiful. Well, the brown carpet in the middle wasn't so beautiful anymore. But the small table with the two leather comfy chairs were gorgeous! The table seemed to be made out of a combination of marble and wood. What a great combination! Then her eye for eloquent, costly things caught the pleasing sight of the oak desk next to the wall. Her eyes lit up. This was a simple, yet elegant piece of history. Her mother would just die over this old antique! Ashley put a smooth hand over the top and stroked it. Thoughts of her mother sobered her up, telling her to get down to business. So she opened the drawer and found handgun ammo. How surprising. She proceeded to open the next drawer, finding a Spinal and a flashlight.

"See, I told you," came the happy tone of that irritating girl!

Ashley turned and delivered a fake, sweet smile while saying, "Yes, you were. Now, can we please go!"

Sheila nodded and allowed Ashley to go first. Before she followed, Sheila noticed a thick, book on the bookshelf. It was in a leather binding, and one of the Spanish words was recognizable to her. Pueblo. She grabbed it out of curiosity, the bookworm in her saying that it wouldn't hurt to look through it.

"Are you coming or not," a shrill voice called from the hall. Sheila let out a frustrated sigh and quickly followed the impatient blond.

**R**

"Lord Saddler!" the surprised voice of Salazar exclaimed excitedly.

He was so surprised to see the one he worshiped and adored. But the look on his Lord's face spoke of disappointment, anger, and malice. He felt fear, a certain unwelcome human emotion swelling up inside. He suddenly wished that he was some where else.

"Salazar, I am none to pleased with the way you are handling things," Saddler said with a cold glare.

Salazar tried to keep his eyes on Saddler's, but those piercing yellow eyes spoke of rage and death. He just couldn't look him in the eyes an longer, knowing he has failed miserably so far. But, it wasn't entirely his fault! He had to get his Lord to see that.

"L-L-Lord Saddler, it isn't entirely my fault. You see, the-"

"Ramon, do not test my patience. You are in control over this castle, the leader of these Ganados. To try to blame the others; that my boy, just shows me your poor leadership skills. Maybe I was wrong in choosing you to take care of this matter," Saddler said with what appeared to be sorrow in his eyes. Salazar fell to his knees and groveled at his feet.

"Oh my Lord! Forgive me! I am just as bad as my ancestors! Failing miserably in your sight is the worst sin I have committed. If it pleases you, I shall throw myself off the highest point in this castle, to the sharp rocks down below! Or, I can set myself on fire and-"

"Oh, come now! Stop your groveling, I have already forgiven you, my son. Get up, and fail me no more," Saddler said with a evil smirk.

Salazar, who now was in tears, stood up and wiped his pale cheeks. Saddler placed his large hand over Salazar's tiny shoulder, smiling down as he began to tell Salazar his next objective.

"Now, my boy, I have a new order for you. Since I had to retrieve the sample myself, I have a certain job for you to carry out. When you retrieve the girls, I want you to kill the agent, Luis, and the mysterious American. Keep the other young woman alive. Torture her if you like. But, keep her alive."

Salazar looked admiringly up at the cold hearted man and asked, "Why keep her alive, my Lord?"

Saddler grinned and replied, "Because, she may be connected with the woman in red... As well as the others. Besides, she would make a lovely Ganado. Her skills has impressed me. I think she would make an excellent new guard for me. The rest can die, for all I care."

**R**

Sheila shivered as she stood in the dimly lit room. It was cold, had layers upon layers of dust, large spider webs all over the corners of every single thing, and a distinct stale odor. This was a place that looked like it has been forgotten intentionally. A place where you throw things that you no longer care about. And mostly, place of fear. Sheila shook her head, clearing those morbid thoughts.

She watched as Ashley turned the flashlight on. The light helped make the room less evil and intimidating. Sheila took comfort in the light source as she held the thick book to her chest. Now, maybe if she stayed here and let the older gal do the work, she might survive. But that would be cowardly, and Sheila was no coward... At times.

"Look, that looks like a switch!" Ashley exclaimed as she pointed at the corner.

Sheila looked at her and Ashley looked at Sheila. Neither wanted to move from the door. The red haired teen was the one who broke down and gave in. She began grumbling as she put down her book and got down to her knees on the cold, dirty floor and crawled under the small table that blocked access to the switch. When she got up, she didn't notice that she had cobwebs and dust in her hair. If she did, there would have been some major screaming.

Sheila dusted her clothes off and walked over to the switch. Well, button. She already knew what to do. She pressed the switch and watched as one metal gate lifted. Turning around, she was going to tell Ashley to move the suitcase over but instead was blinded by that flashlight.

"Ashley! Lower the light for crying out loud," she said with gritted teeth. She heard a feminine chuckle as the light was lowered. Sheila made the mental note to make Ashley pay later.

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like you to move that book case over while I press the second switch. "

"Why do I have too?" Ashley asked grumpily. She in no way wanted to touch it with her hands or a ten foot pole.

Sheila ignored her and steeped forward to the next section. She noticed the unused fireplace and chairs. This room made the Pueblo houses seem like fancy mansions in Beverly Hills. She never saw so many cobwebs or dust in her life! The sound of Ashley moving the shelf caught her attention. Pushing thoughts of uncleanliness out of her brain, she quickly walked over to the red switch and waited patiently for Ashley to finish.

"Hey another one!" Ashley said happily. S

Sheila raised a hand and said, "Don't! Not yet, I'm going to press this switch first, then you can press that one."

Ashley didn't argue to Sheila's relief. Truth was, was that her mind was a little frazzled from lack of sleep and very little food. So, she was trying to remember the exact way the buttons were pressed. She bit her lip as she pressed the button. a gate shut as the gate facing in Ashley's direction opened. She smiled as she ran forward, giving the young woman a grin. Ashley rolled her eyes and pressed the last switch. The last gate opened, making way for the girls.

Sheila didn't waist no time as she rushed to the fireplace and grabbed the stone tablet. It's weight was a bit heavier than expected, but that didn't matter. Now they were going to the Armaduras lair. Hopefully, they'll survive to tell the tale.

Sheila handed the stone tablet to Ashley. The blond arched an eyebrow at her with a look of puzzlement, but Sheila only patted her bulging pockets to show that she had no room. Ashely pocketed the stone tablet, and followed the teen as she played leader. Sheila first opened the old cupboards to reveal a box of pesetas. Then she picked up the Velvet blue on the old, cushioned furniture and put the treasures in her leather pouch. Now that she stalled long enough, she opened the heavy wooden door and proceeded into the dark lair.

Both girls shivered as they walked down the cold, pitch black room. The only source of comfort came from the beam from the small flashlight. As they walked into a smaller area, Sheila noticed some stone boxes. She let out a shaky breath, which came out in a visible icy air. Sheila couldn't believe it was that cold! Even the air had a foggy look to it.

Ashley grabbed her arm and walked along side of her as they continued slowly down the next turn. As they walked down the short hall, they noticed the armor suits. Sheila tried to walk faster, but Ashley stood in place, unable to take her eyes from the knights armor on display.

"Come on, Ashley! Let's get this over with," Sheila pleaded.

She knew what was to come, and she didn't want these things coming to life too soon. Ashley thankfully nodded as she was dragged along by the younger girl. They hurriedly ran down the next stretch of hall. Soon, they found a small steps that led to a open area. Ashley let out a grateful gasp, breathing heavily.

Sheila didn't do the same. From the angle Ashley held the flashlight, the light lit the room in a eerie glow. Sheila couldn't stop staring at the Armor suits. Two had a red feather in their helmets, giving them a superior look. The others were the same plain looking ones that Sheila saw earlier. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as her heart took on a faster tempo. The weapons they held were rusted but deadly as far as she could tell. Her eyes caught a suspicious substance on the blade of the axes, looking like dark, dried blood. That only put her more on edge.

"Hey, this looks like a puzzle. I guess this tablet goes with it," Ashley said while studying the stone puzzle.

Sheila walked over to Ashley and studied it as well. If the puzzle pieces were in the same places like the ones on the game, then maybe she could solve it quicker than standing there and fiddling around. If not, she could probably solve it anyways.

"Let me figure it out while you hold the light," Sheila ordered.

Ashley did not argue. She never did like puzzles, especially these types. As Sheila worked and focused, she nearly forgot where she was. Her heartbeat slowed down to a normal pace as she worked on the puzzle. As she predicted, the puzzle was exactly like the one on the game. Every move was done according to what she knew from Resident evil 4, which means that she was almost finished.

"O.k. Ashley, I'm ready for the tablet," she said with an air of dread.

Ashley took the tablet out of her skirt pocket and handed it over. Sheila gently put the tablet in place, causing the metal door to slide up. Both girls jumped at the sound. The two felt nervous and the usual fear, Sheila more so in knowing what was to happen. To her surprise, Ashley took the lead, telling the teen to stay put. Sheila looked at her as if she were the crazy one.

"You're going to leave me behind with them," she asked in a high pitched voice. Ashley looked back and pointed the light in her direction.

"What do you mean, 'them'? They're just armor suits, not monsters! Besides, every time you go first, something bad always happens. And I mean that in the nicest way possible," Ashley said with a steady tone.

Sheila squinted her eyes and got in her 'No you didn't!' stance. She couldn't help it if she knew what bad things that laid ahead, and attempted to fix them by doing tripping the trap or getting the next scene to happen a little early or- Wait! where's Ashley?

"O crap, ASHLEY," Sheila screamed, but it was to late.

The door slammed shut, leaving Sheila by her lonesome in the darkness. She took out her gun and began to back away, but Ashley must have taken the missing piece of the wall puzzle for the door suddenly unlocked opened again, causing the Armaduras to come alive. Squeezing her eyes shut, she instinctively let out a very girlie scream as the loud clanging began it's scary sound. Terrified, she found herself also crying out for Ashley. But that earned her a axe swinging in the air, nearly decapitating her in one fatal swipe. She stumbled back lost her balance, falling ungracefully on her behind. Her eyes scanned the darkness for anything to tell her where the living nightmares were at. For though Ashley left her alone in the dark, she knew that there were monsters in the room; looking for the perpetrators who dared to disturb their solitude.

She heard some clanging a bit away from her while some of the loud noises were closer then she liked. This disoriented her even more as she scooted back, hoping that the parasites were blind in the dark. The sounds were now right next to her, answering her fear on their eyesight. She rolled out of the way, too shaky to get up. Ashley's screams in the other room had her heart dropping, causing Sheila to lose hope. Maybe they were going to die after all!

Sheila pulled out her gun and began shooting blindly in the dark. She felt her hope die even more as the bullets clearly didn't make there mark. But her blind shooting eventually found their useless marks, the bullets clanging loudly against the armor and giving off sparks. But this only caused the other two Armaduras that was chasing Ashley in the other room, to come out and hunt her down.

Now in full desperation mode, the teen shot all around till the gun was empty. Her last ditch effort proving worthless as the bullets did no damage to the protected parasites. Sheila wanted to cry with frustration as she stood up. She tried to run around and find the room where Ashley was, but in this darkness, she was blind as a bat. And what was worse was being chased and cornered by these foul creatures and unable to do anything to protect herself.

Just as she lost all hope, a light shined brightly out from across from her. But, this also showed that she was cornered by four walking trash cans!

"Hey you! Over here," Ashley yelled as she ran forward.

This distracted the Armaduras for a split second, giving Sheila a way of escape. She ran between two of the distracted creeps and toward Ashley.

"Let's go," shouted Sheila.

They took off down the hall, Sheila first yet again. As they reached the first corner, an axe came swinging down. She screamed and fell backwards on Ashley. The axe barely missed her by inches.

"Sheila," Ashley growled as she pushed her off, clutching the flashlight Serpent puzzle piece. Sheila hopped up, hoping that Ashley had the Salazar Ornament in her skirt pocket. If she didn't...

"Here they come," Sheila whimpered as the clanging noise was now in the hall.

Sheila helped the scared young woman up and proceeded to run. She couldn't believe she forgot about the hiding Knights! As she rounded the next corner and saw the stone boxes, she remembered that there was another one here. Ashley ran past her before she could stop her. The sound of her scream made Sheila's blood run cold. She ran over to the trembling figure on the floor. The flashlight had rolled across the floor, giving Sheila a little light.

"Ashley? Are you alright," Sheila shouted.

Ashley winced and cast a glare in Sheila's direction.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just don't shout like that," she mumbled. She stood up and grabbed the flashlight. It began to flicker.

"No, no, no, no! Don't please" Ashley pleaded. But the light had other plans. And yet again, they were surrounded by darkness.

"What do we do?" Ashley cried out in a panicked voice. Sheila grabbed her hand and began to pray silently that she wouldn't panic... and die.

As the clanging sounds grew louder, the answer became clear. Sheila manage to rasp, "We run the opposite direction of that sound. Now move!"

They quickly began moving their hands over the wall till they came to a open space. Not questioning or discussing it, they ran blindly down the hall till they ran smack into the wooden door. Both stumbled back, but did not stop. Ashley pushed the door open, letting light in on their dark world. For a moment, the girls stood there, trying to adjust their eyesight to the dimly lit room. The sound of approaching Knights woke them from their trance. They quickly entered and slammed the door shut behind them. This only muted the sound of the fast approaching Armaduras.

Sheila and Ashley ran through the open gate. The teen stopped Ashley while smashing the button. The bars fell down, hopefully preventing the Knights from following. As the door was kicked open, revealing the scary knights, the two girls backed away. Their fear was slowly going away after a few seconds, seeing that the Armaduras were just walking over and over into the gate. Sheila let out a sigh of relief, thankful that she was still alive.

"We did it," Ashley whispered.

Sheila shook her head and replied, "No. We still have to get out of here."

Sheila gave a small smile and started to walk toward the door. She then spotted the knight as he attacked her. She screamed as she fell, the blade cutting the side of her arm. As the Armadura collapsed into a pile of rubble, the wounded teenager sat there with a single tear escaping. Ashley quickly bent down and looked over the wound on the stunned red head's upper right arm. The cut looked a bit nasty, but nothing serious. She took out a green herb and gave it to the shocked teen. The younger girl took it gratefully and began tearing it up into pieces. She then rubbed the leaves on her long bleeding cut, hissing as she did so. The oil from the leaves slowly soothed her arm. Not quite growing new skin, but it did stop the bleeding. The rest she ate of the bitter tasting herb.

As Ashley helped her up, they heard the sound of the bars being banged on. One of the Armaduras were trying to break down the gate, which was useless. But this still made the girls uneasy.

"I think we should go," Ashley said while opening the door.

Sheila agreed and suddenly remembered that she left the book there somewhere. She frantically looked around, hoping that she didn't leave it behind the bars where the parasite infected armoured knights were. To her relief, she found it undamaged where the sneaky knight had been. It was just dusty from being underneath what remained of the knight. She picked it up and then followed the impatient blond.

They ran and left the place behind, never wanting to go back ever again. As Ashley pushed the blue door open, Sheila thought she heard the sound of pitter patter of feet. She turned and scanned the area, the feeling of being watched settling over her. But there was nothing to see.

"What are you doing now?" Sheila heard Ashley's impatiently ask.

"Nothing. I just thought... Just forget about it," she said while entering the small but intriguing room.

Another fire place was there, but this one had no cobwebs or dust. In fact, the room seemed peaceful and a tiny hide away for the owner. Nice carpet, pictures of aristocrats dressed in their finest, paintings of beautiful scenery, and a simple but elegant dressers and desks displayed against the walls. But what really caught Sheila's eyes was the large portrait of Ramon Salazar. It was much more impressive than it looked on the game.

She walked slowly toward the fire place as Ashley rummaged through the drawers, looking for any items. Up close, Sheila could see the true color of his hair, skin, and eyes. He wore the same outfit he is wearing now, but in the painting he looked like a very well respected young man. Even handsome. His dark shade of brown hair was beautiful, giving his already tan features a glow of sorts. His sparkling eyes had a deep shade of chocolate, with a hint of what looked like honey. The twinkle in his eyes gave him a mischievous look, a boyish charm mixed with that of a young man's love for life. His skin had the healthy glow of a normal person. And that smile! He actually looked happy. Complete somehow.

Sheila continued to stare at the portrait, taking in the artist's handy work on the back ground. The clouds the artist put in gave a heavenly look to the picture. Her musings were interrupted yet again by the blond college student.

"If you're done ogling, I would like to get out of here!"

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm coming," she responded with a roll of the eyes.

She walked down the two steps and watched as Ashley set aside the serpent piece and began putting her hands in her skirt pockets. She looked a little panicked.

Sheila looked at her with disbelief and said, "Tell me you didn't drop it... Ashley if you-"

"Found it," she said with a smile.

Sheila put a hand to her chest and sighed with relief. As Ashley put the round Salazar Ornament in the brown wheel table, Sheila couldn't help but stare at her hiny. The reason being that Ashley's skirt had some how been torn, revealing a pink pair of panties that said "Princess" in bold blue print. Sheila had two feelings about this, the first was her sense of humor that Ashley's panties were being flashed to the whole world. The second was basically eew, she was staring at Ashley's butt... She would rather see Leon in his boxers... Hmmmm. Leon.. Sheila shook her head of those thoughts as the armor sword and shield wall moved to reveal the ladder to freedom.

Ashley turned and smiled, then screamed. Sheila instantly turned and saw a charred, black, smoldering parasite flying through the air towards her face. She ducked just in time, but poor Ashley got smacked by the creature as it landed full force on her frightened face. The poor young woman's screams drove the teen into action. She ran over and whacked it with her gun, knocking it off the terrified girl's face. The parasite hit the wall, falling on it's back. Sheila ran up to it and dropped the very thick, heavy book on top of it. The sickening sound of the parasite being crushed was enough to make Ashley sick.

Upon seeing how quickly she got green around the gills, Sheila quickly walked over and held the girl's blond, shoulder length hair away from her face as she vomited next to the wheel table. Grimacing, she looked the other way as the sound, smell, and sight alone made her sick! She could shovel horse crap, clean dog crap, and change diapers all day long without blinking, but something about puke made her want to puke herself.

When Ashley was done, she slowly stood up; taking off her tied sweater and wiping her mouth. She looked embarrassed and pale, her eyes blood shot from the exertion of vomiting. Faintly, she smiled and whispered her thanks.

Sheila patted her shoulder and said, "Hey, no problem... And I want to say... Thank you. You know, for saving me back there."

Ashley brightened, returning the girl's smile. A mutual understanding passed between them right then; for once they actually admired the others bravery in the face of dire odds. Sheila cleared her throat and looked at the ladder.

"This doesn't mean that I like you," Ashley said as she tried to return to her disdain of the younger girl, though Sheila could tell that she no longer hated her.

"Oh, I totally agree. I can't stand you," Sheila replied as she walked back over to pick up the book. She wrinkled her nose at the disgusting mess the parasite made on the old cover.

"Yeah, same here. You're too immature. I can't stand the sight of you."

"Yup. Me too. Looking at you and hearing that irritating voice of yours just sends me up the wall," Sheila said with a smile as she turned around.

The girls continued smiling as they walked over to the ladder. Ashley looked at Sheila as the red head was scraping the parasite mush on the wall.

She held back the bile and asked, "Do you want to go up first?"

Sheila stopped what she was doing and shrugged. It really didn't matter. Wait, it did matter. She really didn't want to look at Ashley's booty anymore. Which reminded her, should she tell her about the skirt?... Naaah!

"Yeah, I'll go. There might be more monsters I can smash with my book of doom," she commented with a mischievious smile.

Ashley giggled and waited patiently as Sheila tried to figure out how to climb while toting that heavy book. Her patience began to dwindle as thirty seconds went by. Finally, the teen made a decision and tried to scale the metal latter with the book in hand. It was hard, but she did it. Sighing as she reached the top, she could feel the cut on her bleeding again. She ignored the pain and put the book underneath her left armpit, taking the pressure off her right arm. As she waited for Ashley to climb the latter, she looked at the title of the mysterious book. Although she didn't speak much Spanish, but she did recognise another word on the title beside, "Pueblo". That word was, "Los Illuminados."

**R**

It was eerily silent as Leon, Chris, Claire, and Luis waited on the girls. The silence spoke volumes of the worry that everyone was feeling. The longer the girls took, the more anxiety washed over them. One of them was going to break soon from this feeling if the girls didn't come soon. As the minutes ticked by, the silence grew worse. For each one of them felt like a caged animal with no escape.

Just as the feelings reached their peek, the sound of the heavy door across from Leon clicked. The door swung open, Sheila and Ashley on the other side. All eyes turned on the girls. The red head broke the silence as she dropped the book and ran to the closest person, Leon.

She jumped into his outstretched arms and cried out, "We made it! Oh, Leon, we actually made it!"

Leon gave a happy laugh as he held on to her and closed his eyes.

"That you two did!"

As he slowly set her down, Sheila caught sight of Ashley getting a Redfield hug from both siblings, and she actually seemed to like it.

"I'm so proud of you girls," Claire said as she and Chris let the happy blond go. Then the three switched.

Sheila ran to Claire and Chris's arms while Ashley gave Leon a bear hug. It was a touching moment as Luis saw the exchanges. He felt like an outsider intruding, a feeling that he was used to. But, he enjoyed witnessing the scene, observing and studying the group. As he watched, he felt a pang in his heart, yearning for a moment for his grandfather's loving embrace.

Ashley finally let Leon go and stepped back, somewhat sheepishly. She looked down and said, " Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I-

"It's o.k., the important thing is that you and Sheila are safe. And not hurt," Leon said with concern.

He noticed that both girls were dirtier than ever and had some bruises. When Leon heard Claire's exclamation about Sheila's injury on her arm, he quickly walked over, inspecting the wound.

"Don't fuss over me, I'll be o.k.! Ashley gave me a green herb, it healed it enough to just be a scratch," she said with a grateful smile in Ashley's direction.

But Chris wouldn't hear of it. "Yeah, but you need a bit more for that cut. You'll have to tell us how you got it."

As Claire sprayed her arm with the first aid spray, Sheila only said a few words on the matter.

"We'll tell y'all after we get out of this crazy place. I promise."

Chris opened his mouth to respond but Claire stopped him.

"Shut up, Chris. Leave them alone. We have no time for the whole story. Let's just get out of here."

Sheila stuck her tongue out at Chris who in turn did the exact same thing. Something about Chris just brought the child out in her. Of course she did the same to him.

After the spray fizzed, the shiny new pink skin appeared, making Sheila wish she had that stuff where she came from.

After that was done, Sheila walked up to Luis and said, "Well, what are you standing there and gawking at? Join in the love!"

She then grabbed him and gave him a tight hug. Ashley still was high on all the love in the room that she suddenly ran over and hugged him too. The shocked Luis just stood there, looking down at the happy girls. He slowly smiled and hugged back. After their hugging fest was done, the three turned around and found the three heroes staring at them.

"What?" Sheila asked.

She noticed that Leon was slightly blushing, Chris had his eyebrows up with his mouth slightly open, and Claire looked like she wanted to say something. Ashley noticed this too, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she felt like her butt was freezing.

"Is there a draft in here," she asked with a shiver.

Sheila then realised what everyone was gawking at and started to laugh as she peeked at Ashley's backside. The twenty year old gave her a dirty look and planted her fists on her hips.

"O.k., you people are just weird! Can we please go?"

Claire motioned with her index finger for Ashley to come to her. Shrugging, she complied and leaned in as the older woman whispered in her ear. Her eyebrows shot up as her brown eyes grew huge as she heard the news about her clothing predicament. Her pretty face turned red as Claire finished explaining this embarrassing scene. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, not moving. Claire shot Sheila a chastising look, drying up the teens laughter right away. She then gave Luis a look, seeing the Spaniard enjoying the view. He looked away and tried to act casual. It was all so awkward, but funny to Sheila all the same.

Ashley turned and stuck her head up in the air, trying to gain as much dignity as she took off her sweater and tied it around her waist. She gave a haughty look in Sheila and Luis's direction. Sheila gave her a innocent look. Leon shrugged and put a hand on Ashley's shoulder.

"Come on everyone, let's go."

The bad vibes evaporated and the grateful for life air returned. But as always, Leon's radio beeped, indicating that Salazar wanted to ruin this moment...

**Authors Note: Finally, I'm done with this chapter! And boy am I drained from writing. I was going to finish the other half of "Chaos in the Resident Evil World" chapter but my mind is just gone to mush. Hope this satisfied your appetites. As for merchant theories, don't worry, I'm putting them in the next chapter, especially Kain kenndy's theory! Yours is funny! More to come, same for the rest of the stories. Have a good night!... And review... Yeah, press that little button down below and leave a review... Come on... You can do it... I said review! **


	28. Chapter 27:Different Paths

**Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming, they do inspire and helps me into checking over my work to see where I need to improve! And thank you thewarriorzemos for your insight in this story! It was a pleasure getting your review. Cookies for all who read and reviewed this story so far! **

**O.k., let's get down to business. Of course you know this is going to be a long chapter so grab a soda, snack, and a comfortable chair. Now the plot is going to start changing more. Keep in mind that Luis was supposed to die, Chris and Claire are not supposed to be in there, heck, my character is from a different world with this reality is just a game! And of course Wesker and his evil plans, well, you get the picture. **

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 27: Different Paths **

Salazar: _Awe... What a touching moment we have here._

Leon: _All spoiled thanks to your interruption. Why don't you do us all a favor and leave before the audience gets piss-d off?_

Salazar: _You and your friends are nothing but extras in my script so don't get too carried away. Your biggest scenes are over._

Leon: _We_ _don't ever remember being a part of your crappy script._

Salazar: _Well then, why don't all of you show me what a first-class script is like; through your own actions_.

"Why do you even answer if you know it's him?" Sheila asked as Leon holstered his radio. Leon looked at her with surprise and wracked his brain for an answer.

"Because he only calls to taunt me, to get underneath my skin. So, I answer and taunt him back," he said with a shrug.

He noticed the look on her face was anything but admiring. In fact, it spoke volumes of what she thought of it.

"Well, it's really simple in how to answer him... Don't answer," the teen spoke rather frankly. Leon shook his head and proceeded to walk toward the door.

"It's a guy thing, Sheila. You wouldn't understand how the dynamics work," Chris said in agreement with Leon's ways.

Sheila looked up at Claire who in turn gave a eye roll. She thought it was ridicules also, considering how time is wasted talking to the evil little dude. But, it wasn't worth the energy debating over it. So, they began following Leon... Until Sheila remembered something.

"Oh, wait for a second, I... uhhh... see something," she said in a rush.

She ran over to the large portrait of Saddler to everyones puzzlement. She then proceeded to knock down the heavy canvas. As it fell to the ground with a loud bang, Sheila picked up the three golden bars sitting where the portrait just had been. As she carried the heavy bars, she noticed the disbelief in everyones eyes. Giving them a smile, she began to offer an explanation.

"I noticed that the picture was just not hanging right, like the one back where Mr. Claw guy was. Looks like my hunch was right."

Sheila handed the bars over to Leon, and acted like she didn't notice the searching looks she was getting. Chris shook it off and nudged Leon.

"Let's get a move on. Places to go, things to kill, kidnappings to avoid."

Leon nodded and put the bars in his briefcase. As he situated the items, Sheila noticed Luis giving her a penetrating stare. This was unnerving her and in which was souring her mood. Didn't he have better things to do? Such as enjoying that he wasn't impaled by Saddler!

"What?" she finally hissed at Luis.

The Spaniard just shrugged and acted casual.

"Nothing," he responded while crossing his arms over his chest. Sheila didn't like his tone.

"What do you mean nothing? There's definitely a something behind that nothing! Now spill," she demanded quietly, low enough to not attract unwanted attention from the others.

Luis smirked and gave her a knowing glance.

"It's just that it looks like I'm not the only one holding things back," he said with a tiny smirk.

Sheila gave a 'pfft' and started to ignore the knowing Latin man_. _

_What do you want me to say? I'm from a world where you guys are just a figment of some Gamer creator's imagination! That this is real but not real... Wow, this is seriously messed up_.

"Right. I'm ready. Let's go," Leon said after strapping on his case.

But frankly, everyone was getting tired and cranky. Think about it. You're up all day fighting, killing while defending the helpless, running from freaks implanted with parasites. And of course getting cut, hit, injected with parasites, chainsaws slicing you, basically having a sucky day that just wont quit. A person has to ask themselves... When will it end?

Claire stiffened when she felt Sheila grab her arm. She looked at the younger girl and gave a concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

Her concern grew when Sheila looked away. She knew that look. It was the same look that she gets when she's afraid to speak up when her grandma is visiting.

"It's nothing... It's just that I feel like Leon forgot something," she said cryptically.

Claire patted her hand and said reassuringly, "Don't worry. Everything is fine. I'm sure Leon didn't lose anything... besides his mind."

Sheila grinned at the comment, but her eyes still looked troubled.

"Is there a problem," Leon asked with a hint of irritation.

He stood in front of the short hall that would lead to the room that's the in between of the room of lava place! Claire sighed and said yes while Sheila said no. Then Claire said yes while Sheila said no. This was getting them no where. Chris sighed and walked over to the two younger women.

"What is it?"

Sheila bit her bottom lip as she tried to not sound too all knowing. But she had to tell them that there was a free Broken Butterfly magnum with a pretty perfume bottle and some herbs stashed in a room!

"Well, I have a feeling...," she began nervously. Chris gazed intently, waiting for her to just say it.

"Yes?..."

"I have a feeling that ... you guys... forgot something."

Chris's forehead wrinkled as he tried to remember anything they could have forgotten. But nothing came to mind.

"Leon, did we forget something," Chris asked with a confused glance.

Leon rubbed his chin, trying to remember anything that they could have missed. Sheila decided to push their thought process to a certain locked door.

"Now listen. When a woman has that feeling, it is most definitely true that the feeling is legit. Now think," she said with urgency. "Think really hard."

As the two men pondered, Claire's eyes sparkled with a sudden thought. It was as if they missed something. Something, maybe some door...

"There was the door on our run from the crows. The metal door," Leon spoke before the brilliant Claire could speak. "But I fail to see what that has to-"

"Oh don't be daft, Leon! Any room could have ammo or something special to help us along the way," Sheila said with a stomp of her foot.

Her patience was running really thin now. Leon only arched an eyebrow, not responding to her sudden outburst. Finally, Luis broke the tension.

"Oh, for the love of humanity! Just send two back while the rest of us go on into the next room! Then, when our errands are done, we can meet up here or the... next room. Well?"

Sheila grinned while the rest did not like the thought of another separation. But then again, the annoying red head had made them doubt themselves so separation it is.

"Fine. From what the map shows, there's two rooms ahead. While two of us back tracks the rest will go on to check out the next two rooms. Then we meet back here. Agreed," Chris asked while putting his map away. Everyone agreed, though Leon and Claire wasn't to happy.

"So, who backtracks," Luis asked while looking at Chris and Leon. Of course no one volunteered at first.

"I'll go. Leon, you can go on while I go back track. Since I killed the most Ganados, I think I get the pleasure of going through the not so populated turf," Chris said smugly.

Leon flicked him the bird to Sheila's surprise, but it wasn't ill intended since he was smiling. Leon then took his turn to speak.

"So, who wants to go with me?"

Silence. Except one voice that just wouldn't shut up!

"O! O! Oooooo! Ooooooo! Pick me! Pick me! Pick meeeeeeee," Sheila shouted as she raised her hand and jumped up and down.

Leon continued to look around as he said, "Is there someone who is sane that wants to come with me?"

"Hey!"

Silence. Then Claire smiled as well as Ashley.

Claire raised her hand while Ashley said with bright eyes, "I'll follow you anywhere, Leon."

Sheila rolled her eyes at that comment. What a come on! To Sheila's further irritation, Leon smiled and held out both arms to Claire and Ashley.

"Come along. ladies. Let Leon show you a good time."

"Hey, Blondie boy! I'm a lady! I'm the definition of woman! Leon... Leon! You jerk!" Sheila yelled as she followed suit.

Leon's answer was for her to move her butt then and follow. This earned him a loud "EEEEEEEEEEEEERG!"

Luis and Chris just stood there, shaking their heads at the craziness of the situation.

"What is it with Leon and the ladies," Luis asked with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Chris puffed up his chest and responded, "He uses the whole emotional good boy act. As for us, amigo. We use our manly Lion ways to win our ladies. After they see through his boy scout act up, they'll come running to us for protection."

Chris squeezed Luis's shoulder who in turn grinned.

"Besides, that leaves us free from womanly chatter," Chris said with a relieved grin. Luis nodded, but then frowned.

"Then why do I get the feeling we have the short end of the stick? You do notice that there's six of us, friend. Leon has three women while we just have each other."

"Yeah but -Wait... He actually... That sneaky Basta-d!"

"Si, amigo. He is a that, with what you Americans say... a capital B," Luis chuckled.

**R**

Claire certainly didn't feel cold anymore. The heat in the room was just below the line of uncomfortable. And the cause of the heat was what lied below, which looked suspiciously like lava_. _

_How do all these creeps get all these crazy things? Is there a book that explains how to furnish you bad guy homes? _

Claire harrumphed and turned her gaze on Leon's still form. He didn't look too happy about this either. Too many close calls to tell you that once you see anything that looks dangerous in one room, there's something worse in the next.

"Penny for your thoughts, " Claire said softly.

Leon gave her a tired smile and sighed. She knew that sigh. It was a bad sigh. The sigh of separation. She closed her eyes as Leon walked over and stood beside her, next to the interesting rail car. He put a strong hand on her shoulder and called the two girls forth. Sheila knew what was coming.

"Ladies, this is where we part for just a little while. I have a bad feeling on what lays ahead."

Claire looked at the girls, noticing there looks of sadness and exhaustion.

"While Leon takes care of things, I'll stay here with you two. Nobody will be left to fend for themselves."

"Leon will," Ashley exclaimed.

Claire didn't respond, not really knowing what to say since she didn't want him to go either. But she didn't have to, Leon did it for her.

"You're forgetting," Leon began, "that I'm a highly trained agent that has kept myself alive long before meeting up with Claire and Chris. I'll be okay. If it's nothing I can't handle, I'll come back here and wait for the others."

Ashley saw that there was no use arguing with him, so she sadly backed down. Leon then stepped onto the unusual rail cart. It looked like a thing off the newest Star War films, except more rusty. Leon smiled at this and looked up at the girls.

He put a gloved hand on the button and said, "Take care of them Claire... and take care of yourself."

Claire lips twitched as a smile slowly spread on her lovely face. She gave a thumbs up, her eyes showing that nothing will come get these girls without a fight. Satisfied, Leon then pressed the button, the rail cart jerking as the two rusty wheels began to move, which almost made Leon lose his balance. But he regained it and straightened his posture as he waved to the three women who hoped it wasn't a final farewell.

**R**

"So, what can you tell me about Sheila," asked Luis. His voice was casual, too casual.

Chris didn't even bother looking at the curious man as he answered, "She's eighteen years old."

Luis frowned and gave Chris a puzzled look as they came upon the door that led to the dining room and it's smaller red room where the hero trio escaped the deathtrap. Then the realization of Chris's misunderstanding made him quickly explain himself as the American opened the door.

"No! That's not what I mean. I mean, she isa beautiful muchacha! And her ballistics are," Luis stopped as Chris shot him a death glare that dared him to finish that sentence.

Luis gave a nervous chuckle as he followed the silent ex Air force pilot. It was best to be silent at a time like this. Number one was just to be careful and not to alert any guards left... if there was any left. Number two, well, Chris was a tall man and broad shouldered with a strong figure that spoke of training and weight lifting. He had the feeling that if he spoke anymore on the princessa, then he would end up sent back to Saddler... cut up in little pieces... placed in a box with pretty ribbon. Luis shuddered and agreed with his instincts. Now was not the time to question about the girl and her origins, no matter how much she seems to know about this castle or him.

_Great. I'm being more paranoid than usual. Women!_

**R**

Leon took out his Semi Automatic Sniper Rifle, just as Sheila called out for him to do. Usually, he wouldn't take orders from a teenager, but her uncanny instincts and predictions has yet to be proved wrong. So once he entered the huge boiling room, he did as she ordered.

As he looked around while putting his case back on, he couldn't help but shiver even though it was much more hotter in there than back in the last room. She was right again, he could possibly need the rifle in this room. The hot cavern was massive, filled with constant magma and fire. The blistering heat alone would make a less highly trained agent flee, but not our Leon.

His baby blue eyes took in the two large dragon statues hanging around the room. Each were identical, there open mouths revealed large teeth, there eyes dark with a black void. They reminded him of the Chinese stone dragons decorated in his favorite Chinese restaurant. And to top it off, they were in perfect positions for a sniper, each strategically placed for a purpose. Leon raised an eyebrow at the strange room and it's medieval look._. _

_Salazar's taste or his ancestors? Either way, they had sadistic decorative fashion sense for the castle rooms and its architecture_.

Leon slowly walked toward the stairs, his eyes keeping steady on the dragon on the right side of the room. So far, nothing. His hands gripped the gun more firmly, his eyes never leaving the statue as he took his first step. Suddenly, a person appeared behind the dragon head. He leaned over and pressed something, pressing a hidden switch in which causing the dragon to move, come to life in a way. It's eyes shined a bright red as fire burst from it's nostrils and open mouth. Leon brought up his rifle and looked through the scope, knowing he had one shot before the stone dragon fully turned and engulfed him in flames.

But the dragon was moving fast, so he fired while moving with the it's movements. The death trap stopped suddenly, then crumbled from the wall, falling into the hot liquid with a loud splash and hiss. Leon smiled, then turned his attention to the dragon on the left side. It was far enough to not cause any damage. But once he reached the lower levels, well, he knew that would be a big mistake to attempt. He smirked as he hustled back to the door. Then he raised his rifle, smiling when he spotted the shirtless monk waiting_. _

_Sorry buddy, but your friend already wrecked the surprise party you had planned for me_.

As of sensing Leon's thoughts, the man yelped and pressed the switch. It didn't even get a chance to breath fire as Leon nailed him with a head shot. The lifeless body fell to the lave below, his stone dragon following. Straightening up, he looked around to see what else he had to worry about. No more dragons were around, giving him a much safer passage. He was going to put the sniper rifle up, but then decided against it. After all, he might need it again. So he put the weapon over his left shoulder. (His Riot gun his is over his right shoulder. Remember, they have straps? Okay, back to the story!)

Leon didn't hustle as he made it down the steps carefully. The heat was even more intense down there than the short way up. Sweat poured down his cheeks as he walked, ignoring the stinging pain as some of the salty sweat reached his eyes with annoying accuracy. He wiped his brow and moved on. As he sauntered on, he noticed a pedestal with a small chest sitting on it. It was red with gold trim, giving a humble but rich look. Like a present you get on Christmas day.

He put a hand on it and hesitated. It could be a trap, but then again they haven't opened a single chest that was a trap... Except for the one back at the red room. Leon quickly looked up, just to make sure. No hidden cages were up there at least. And the floor had no trap door, so he guessed it was safe. Well, hoped is more like it.

He opened it quickly, like you do when tearing off a band-aid. Inside were three bars of gold.

_Just what the Doctor ordered!_

The agent picked the bars up and situated them in his money pouch. Good thing he had that in his case, it would be far to heavy to carry on his utility belt. He smiled as he got everything situated and where they needed to go. Now, back to business. He proceeded till he reached what I like to call the 'Headache'. Not because it's hard to get on, but because it makes me dizzy if I look at it for too long. Just thinking about it makes me... nauseous.

Leon watched and studied the whirling headache. From what he could tell, there were two openings. But if you failed to jump through it, you'll end up falling into the flaming pit bellow and meeting a horrible end. So, with great patience, he timed it. Then he got into position_. _

_Whoosh! Whoosh_!

Leon leaned and stiffened, his face filled with determination. His jaw line was tight, his eyes narrowed. Then the opening came and he jumped!... And died miserably. Too bad he sucked without my helping him with a controller... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! Naaaah! He made it. His timing is perfect as always so no Leon soup today. I know, not funny. But hey, I couldn't resist!

Leon took a deep breath and walked over to where he needed to jump next. He got into position again, but this time he got a little distracted. Being inside the whirling headache certainly made him dizzy for a split second, but he shook his head and started to keep time. The opening came and he... jumped! He landed with perfect ease but nearly tumbled backwards to a untimely end. He grabbed the railing and kept from toppling into the hot liquid below. Releasing a loud groan at his almost death_. _

_Alright Kennedy! Keep it steady. Just because you're pouring with sweat and feeling like you're in a oven doesn't mean you are really in one. Focus!_

_"_Morir!" shouted a bald, shirtless monk from up above. He stood there on a a ten or fifteen foot tower, a robed monk beside him carrying a ball and chain.

"Wow, like I didn't see that coming," Leon sighed sarcastically. He then grabbed his Riot gun and waited.

The two Ganados jumped down and ran toward him with their red eyes screaming their hatred. Nothing new there. The blond agent shook his head and aimed.

"You must really want to die."

Then the sounds of shotgun blasts was all that was heard in the Dragon room.

**R**

Chris looked up the sky nervously for the tenth time as he and Luis walked in the open courtyard or whatever you want to call that place. Basically, they were back where the three heroes had ran from the crapping crows, the ones Chris and Leon had pestered and caused their poopy wrath. (Hey, how else was I going to describe their retreat? The flight of the menacing winged el pooper extraordinaries?) Chris really didn't want to experience that incident ever again.

"I think that's it," Chris pointed out.

Luis looked at what Chris was pointing and saw a metal door beyond the fountain, resembling some of the other doors in the castle. Luis quickened his steps while Chris took his time, still suspicious of another air attack from the black menaces. When he reached Luis, the Spaniard looked frustrated.

"Door's locked," Luis grunted as he jiggled the door handle. Chris leaned beside the stone wall and sighed inwardly. It figures that they came back for nothing. And all because of a certain red head who had a inkling.

"Hmm. There's a window up there. Maybe...," Luis left the sentenced unfinished as Chris caught on.

He stood back and looked up. It was too high for one person, but with two... Well, they didn't need two. Chris grabbed his Grappling hook gun from his leg holster and gave a satisfied smile at Luis's surprised facial expression. Yep, Chris isn't just a big brother who wants to kick Wesker's butt. He has suave, spy worthy secrets too.

As Chris fired the gun and zipped his way up, Luis was briefly reminded of the woman in red.

_Looks like the hot Senorita isn't the only one with gadgets. I wander if Claire has any secrets hidden on her person also. _

Luis smiled wolfishly as he let that idea linger while Chris unlocked the metal door.

"It's opened, Spaniard," Chris called out. He stifled the smile from spreading across his face as Luis mumbled something about tired of being called the Spaniard.

**R**

After killing about four Ganados, he noticed another chest. After opening it, he found another pendent that belonged to a head priest. It fetched a great price when he sold the last one to the merchant, so getting another one was a 'pick me up' to the tired agent. With that done, the only place left to check for the puzzle piece lay just up ahead. Which there wasn't much to check. There was a big gap between the level he was on and that a strange pedestal was up fifteen feet high. He was curious what it was there for. Only one way to find out. He began walking toward the two walls, hoping to find something, like that third piece of the puzzle. After all, they had the goat piece, the serpent piece, and now they need the last piece to continue on. Without it will make things difficult.

The sound of moving gears and the ground shaking stopped Leon from finishing his walk toward the walls. The dragon's head appeared, it's eyes glowing red. His eyes rounded, caught by surprise by this little twist as flames shot out of it's mouth. Leon quickly rolled to his right and hid behind the wall. The flames continued for three seconds then stopped. The sound of gears shifting again made Leon stand up and peek around the corner. The dragon head was about to unleash it's furry on his not so safe position. Leon quickly ran to the other wall as the burst of fire engulfed the area. He cursed as the sound of chains clinking and the shouts of Spanish came from the small tower.

_Great! Just what I need, more playmates._

The sound of the statue moving made Leon curse louder. Now how was he going to handle this situation? As the first two Ganados started running toward him, he came up with a last ditch effort plan. He jumped into the open, waiting for the Ganados. They laughed as they raised there weapons in the air, charging the surprisingly calm agent. As he heard the sound of air rushing behind him, alerting the agent of the first wave of fire about to burst forth, the Ganados were swinging there weapons down to kill him. Leon jumped to the right again as the flame spewed out of the dragon's mouth, engulfing the two Ganados. They screamed in pain as they were consumed by the flames, running back toward the other three Ganados that just jumped down. The three tried to run and get out of the way, but the on-fire monks grabbed them in desperation.

Then they caught on fire, their skin blistering and of course being the beginning of a Ganado barbecue. Leon paid no attention to them as his main focus was completely on the Dragon's head. He knew now how to kill the cult member without dying a horrible, fire filled death. He waited for the fire breathing dragon to target him. It did. At the last minute, he ran back yet again to the left side and brought up his Sniper Rifle, firing at the barely seen monk. He missed with the first shot, cursing as the fire stopped suddenly. The monk moved what looked like a lever and started to shift. Leon's hands shook as he looked through the scope. He fired just before the opening was lost. The dragon came to a halt and began to tremble, then fall to the debts below.

The ground began to shake yet again, making Leon's stomach clench in apprehension.

_Now what_?

But his muscles relaxed as he saw that it was just a stairway. When the gears stopped and the stairs were in place. Leon took a look around, just to make sure no more surprises were going to pop up. After satisfying himself that there was no more traps set out for him, he quickly ran up the stairs. At the top was the chest, same size and color like the rest. When he opened it, he sighed with relief. It was the last part of the puzzle, the lion.

He grabbed his radio and attempted to contact Chris.

**R**

"Chris, (static) do you re (static...)"

Chris jumped as his radio tried to pick up Leon's voice. He grabbed it as Luis twirled the Broken Butterfly like an cowboy from the old West.

"Leon! I can't get a clear signal. Guess that midget's blocked us off from each other as well as the outside world." Chris said with agitation.

"Yeah... But not completely. (static..) I (static) the third piece of the puzzle. Meet us at (static)..."

"Leon! What was that?... D-mn it!"

Chris holstered his radio and kicked the chest. He was thinking some murderous thoughts on how he was going to get his vengeance on the young Salazar when Luis spoke up.

"I think he wanted to meet us back where you saw that puzzle. Makes sense since we're about half way there. It shouldn't take too much time to meet up with them there on foot instead of taking the rail system. Only four at a time can take those rail carts, and the journey isn't that quick."

Chris thought about it and came to the conclusion that Luis was right.

He grabbed his radio again and spoke into it, "Leon, if you can hear me, we got your message. We'll meet you there."

**R**

Claire sighed with relief when she saw Leon riding back to them, unharmed. When he reached them, she immediately was at his side, offering support. He politely waved her off, remarking that he was fine, just a little weak from the intense heat back there. Claire saw just how soaked he was with sweat, frowning at his stubbornness. From all that sweating, he had lost a lot of potassium, which explains his weakness. Since she had no Bananas or Potassium to give him, the only thing to do was to find a safe place to rest and give him a ration. Of course, safe places in this castle was hard to come by.

"Leon!... You look... like you're in one piece," Ashley said with a forced smile. Her worry was overcome by the sweatiness of the poor agent.

Sheila voiced her thoughts. "What she meant was that you look horrible and if we get too close to you, we'll probably smell like the stink monster."

Leon's mouth twitched, a smile slowly appearing on his dirty but handsome face. "Stink monster?"

Sheila nodded and scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, you could use a shower."

Her face looked serious, but her eyes twinkled with amusement. Leon chuckled and patted a sweaty hand on her head to the red heads horror.

"Well, I'm not the only one, Red," he said in a mock southern drawl. Sheila scoffed and swatted his hand away, rolling her eyes at his poor attempt at a southern accent. Leon soon sobered up and told them the plan.

After everything was settled, the group then made their way to the rail carts. Sheila couldn't wait to sit down and relax and ride that... uh, ride

**R**

Ada silently slit the Ganado's neck that was not paying attention to his guard duties. As his body melted away, she silently walked down the hall, her Blacktail raised. So far, her plans had to be altered yet again. First Leon showed up, which wasn't such a bad thing. He's turning out to be a important part of her mission... just like last time.

"Mir- aaaaah!" was the only thing that came out of the Ganado that just jumped out in front of her. After twisting his his neck, she walked around the body and ignored the sound of it melting into a grayish, yellow goo.

When it came to Leon, she felt like she was being tugged in different directions. After all, he truly did get to her back in Raccoon City. He actually cared for her and treated her like a true lady. Like she was delicate. But the truth was, she was anything but that. She was a highly trained killer. Although her body was petite and appeared innocent and fragile like a China doll, she was lethal and wouldn't blink in killing you if it was necessary. Leon though, seemed to be the one who penetrated her defenses.

Her ears twitched as the sound of footsteps came down the hall to her right. She quickly jumped up and planted her feet and hands on the cold stone walls. She then pushed her self up till she was near the roof, then stiffened her arms as she let her feet go slide off the wall. Then she brought her legs back and stretched them to plant them back on the wall in a more controlled, firmer position. She was now flat against the low hanging roof, out of sight.

A line of chanting monks passed underneath her. Their chants made no sense to her. Always saying in Spanish "To die is to live!" and "To live is to die!" She would never understand these types of cults.

Her body stiffened as the large, black, robed lackey of Salazar walked underneath her... followed by Salazar himself and the other lackey. They walked slow, as if they were in a solemn parade of some sort. Salazar broke the silence as he stopped directly below the woman in red.

"I can't believe that agent and his friends has survived everything I've thrown at them! This luck streak has to end. I see now that I'm going to have to handle this myself," Ramon said with a dramatic wave of his small hand.

A clicking noise came from the red robed guard behind him. He tilted his head and seemed to understand what this thing was saying. A fowl smell filled the air as the creature clicked and growled in it's own weird language. Ada blinked as the smell reached her nose, but her emotionless face didn't show any disgust as she listened in.

"Yes... That will be a more safer way of dealing with these pests. No more shall they put a blemish on my service to the great Lord Saddler. Now, I just have to remember not to kill that woman dressed in black. Lord Saddler thinks she may know something about that strange intruder in red," Ramon calmly said. Then he and his followers continued on till they were out of sight and range.

Ada dropped to the floor, landing on her feet like a cat. Not a hair was out of place as she grabbed her gun from her holster. It seems like Claire Redfield and her brother were becoming a bigger issue than before. Good thing she was expecting that. After all, they were survivors, just like Leon. But she couldn't let Salazar capture poor Claire. After all, she was depending on the Redfeild to keep Leon out of too much trouble. She after all couldn't help Leon as much as she wanted to with Wesker breathing down her neck.

The spy sighed and for a moment let her emotions to the surface. The same battle of right and wrong that she felt when she was around the agent last time now started to rage within her. As always, she stifled the emotions back, finding the color Grey between the black and white. Wesker may be the black that she battled against, but she wasn't on the white side as Leon and his friends were. She was on the agencies Grey side. Where right and wrong were used in ones convenience. Now that she reminded herself that, she could concentrate on the tasks at hand. Her first task is to make sure Leon survives and Claire doesn't get herself captured. The second of course is to get the sample.

As she silently walked down the halls, she ignored the soft cry within her for the white side. The innocence she had lost in her sad lot in life.

**R**

"Yes! We made it!." Sheila excitedly exclaimed.

They made it to the rail cart with no mishaps, no enemies to interfere with them. Leon wouldn't admit it, but he was glad that they finally made it for the simple reason to rest. He was shaky from all the sweat he lost, plus the injuries he sustained on this horror filled adventure.

He opened the cart door and said with a tired grin, "Your chariot has arrived, my ladies."

Giggles irrupted from the tired women as they excepted his offer to go first. Ashley sat where she sat in the game, with a hopeful expression on her face. Sheila disappointed her by sitting down beside her. The teen didn't notice though, her mind was too weary to notice who she sat next too. After Claire sat opposite, Leon shut the door as he sat down, pushing the lever.

The cart jerked, startling everyone as it started to move slowly. Then it began to pick up speed and go down the dimly lit tunnel. The air blowing in Leon's face caused him to close his eyes in pleasure. It felt good on his heated skin. Claire watched him with relief. He was looking worse as they made there short distance to the rail cart. But now, he seemed to relax and settle down. He needed this rest.

"How long is this ride going to be?" Sheila asked quietly.

Leon cracked one eye open and said in a tired voice, "About thirty minutes or more. You three better rest, I'll keep watch."

Claire shook her head as his eyes closed involuntarily. She put a hand behind him and said, "No. I'll keep watch. You rest Leon."

The agent tried to resist, but his head soon drooped and a soft snore was all they heard. Claire smiled and tenderly made him lean on her petite shoulder. She then mouthed to the girls to rest. Ashley yawned and tried to get comfortable without using Sheila as a pillow. Sheila on the other hand, didn't care. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest in comfort.

So she whispered in Ashley's ear, "I'm tired and you're tired. Let's just swallow our pride and get comfortable."

Ashley slowly nodded and allowed the younger girl to lean her head on her shoulder and snuggle. Ashley snuggled back and wrapped her arms around her in a sisterly hug. Soon, both girls were fast asleep. Claire tried to stay awake, but the rhythmic sound of the trolley's wheals going around made a humming noise that soothed her stressed nerves. The lighting made her even sleepier. Soon, she herself fell into a deep slumber.

**R**

"Eie yie yie! My feet are throbbing. We should have taken the rail car," Luis whined.

Chris looked back at him and said, "Who was it who said it was a smart idea to go this way? Who said Leon was right?"

"Hey! Don't go and blame this on me, Senior! I wasn't the one who called back Leon and tell him si, that we would listen to his logical plan!"

"Eh, shut up," Chris grumpily said as he waved him off.

He stopped after hearing Luis mutter a Spanish word he knew very well. It was the same word Carlos calls him every time they bump heads.

"What did you call me?" he growled.

Luis shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he said with no fear, "What? You heard me, Americano."

Chris turned fully and began stalking toward the angry Spaniard. But of course some Ganados saw them standing on the first pedestal in the Water Hall, recognizing them a the ones Lord Saddler ordered to be put to death. So they fired two fiery bolts at them, narrowly missing their heads. The two turned their angry glares at the offending Ganados.

"You guys picked the wrong time to try and kill us," Chris angrily stated as he grabbed his Riot gun.

Luis took out his Red-nine and followed Chris as he jumped across to the other side. They then began to take out their frustrations out on the monks after charging with a fierce yell.

**R**

The rail car came to a surprisingly smooth stop, but not smooth enough not to cause the two girls to stumble forward a bit.

"I'M AWAKE MOM! STOP YELLING," Sheila yelled with wide open eyes. The others jumped up, startled from the younger girl's shout. She began to blush as she mumbled her apology, realizing where she was.

"It's alright. You just startled us," Leon said as he cracked his neck side to side.

He then realized that Claire was snuggled up against him, her head laying on his chest. Her eyes were wide open from being startled awake like that was clear, but what really startled her was that she woke up snuggled up next to Leon. Her head laying on one of his pectoral muscles, his arm wrapped around her. She quickly straightened up, blinking her eyes and wiping her mouth. She slowly peeked at his chest and gulped. She had drooled while sleeping. Dang it!

"I thought you were going to stay awake, Miss Redfield," Leon's voice teased.

She slowly looked up into his smiling face and saw the amusement twinkling from his warm eyes. She gave a bashful smile and replied with a sleep, husky filled voice.

"I couldn't help it. You felt so good... Not in that good sense! I mean... I didn't take advantage... I-I. Grr! Leon Kennedy, stop laughing!" Claire said with her hands on her hips.

His laughter though was soothing to all three of the girls. It was a rare thing to hear him laugh so freely. Like he hadn't a care in the world.

He finally controlled himself and said while wiping his eyes, "It's o.k., Claire. I know you couldn't resist yourself. I am - Ow! hey!"

Leon rubbed his arm where Claire punched him.

"As fun as this is not, I'd like to go now," Ashley said crankily.

Sheila agreed, she never liked naps. Every time she fell asleep for a nap, someone or something would wake her up in the middle of her too deep sleep, thus creating a very grumpy red head. She rubbed her eyes and got out of the car, followed by Ashley, Claire then Leon.

"Wow, how long was that nap?" Leon asked.

Claire looked down her watch and answered, "Forty minutes. It feels like we just nodded off."

"Well, at least we got some rest," Leon said with a fresh wave of new energy.

Sheila wanted to smack him. No human being should feel that perky after that short of nap! She was tempted to kick him in the shins, but restrained herself. (Yeah, I am a grumpy person if I wake up to suddenly during a nap!)

She instead walked over to the door and said, "Why don't we just get going and see if Chris and Luis are there yet."

"Great, now move. Ladies first," Ashley said while nudging her out of the way. Claire held Sheila back as Ashley unlocked the door.

**R**

"Aaaaaw! That feels good. Just sitting here, resting our feet in complete silence to recoup. Nothing like it," Chris said with a peaceful look in his eyes.

Luis kept his eyes shut and said, "Don't forget having the satisfaction of killing monsters playing a role, amigo."

"Oh yeah, it did."

They had finally made it back to the room where they were to meet the others minutes ago. After fighting twenty Ganados and their parasites, they had settled their differences and began bonding through fighting for their lives. Now they just relaxed after their long journey that led to this point. Of course, all silences and alone time comes to an end. The locked door clicked, and opened. Ashley came through first, running to the puzzle on the wall and hugged it. The two men looked at each other and raised an eyebrow. Looks like Sheila has been rubbing off of her.

Of course Sheila came running through the door and joined Ashley, sighing while she pressed her body into the wall with her arms open wide also.

Luis sighed as he helped Chris to his feet, and said sadly, "You said they would come running back to our arms after enduring Leon's company."

Chris patted his shoulder and replied, "They're hugging a wall, Luis. I think Leon drove them to insanity, so it's best not to draw their attention to us He-Men."

"Pfft! Leon at least knows how to show a lady a peaceful time, Chris," Sheila teased as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh, you poor girl. He's warped you," Chris said while clutching his chest.

"What's the matter, guys? Can't take that I'm a ladies man?" Leon said with a wolfish smile as he joined them.

Chris walked over to the some what shorter younger man and tapped him on the temple. "Just keep thinking that, Leon. And maybe one day, you'll grow up to be just like me and my friend, Luis."

"Speaking of growing up, can we please put in the pieces before we grow any older?" Claire asked while tapping her foot. The men straightened up and grinned at each other. Oh the miracle of male bonding.

Leon opened his case and brought out each ornament and gave Claire the snake ornament, Chris the goat ornament, and Sheila (she asked sweetly if she could do one) the lion ornament. Each placed their pieces into the position. Now the mural was completed. They didn't have time to enjoy their handy work after completing the picture since the wall immediately slid down back into the floor.

"Finely! It took longer to get this far than it did in the- uh, my dream while I took that nap!... Last one up the stairs is a rotten egg," Sheila said with a fake smile as she ran forward and around the corner.

Ashley ran behind her, yelling, "Let's see who's the rotten egg!"

"Ashley, you're already a rotten egg," Sheila said matter of factly.

Claire shook her head in amusement as Leon thought on the almost slip she made. He caught on that she was going to say something important, but what it was he knew not. He pushed back his suspicious thoughts and rubbed his neck, getting the kinks out. Something hard conked him on the head, then slid off and fell into his hand. It was a gold peseta. Girlish giggles were heard up above him to his irritation.

"Hey! What was that for?" he asked the two girls as they peeked over the balcony and giggled some more.

He began to grumble and pocket the gold peseta.

"Uh-Uhhn, Leon! Sheila found that so it's-mmmmph!"

Sheila clamped her hand over Blondy's mouth and told her to shush. It wasn't that she was not going to give it to Leon, it was that she noticed the way he looked at her last time she found gold. So she was going to come up with a excuse on how she stumbled upon it up there. But no! Ashley had to open her big mouth first and make him more suspicious!

"Girls," Leon began but Sheila ignored him as she started to pretend to be Salazar.

"Heheheheheheheheheheheeeeee! Welcome, my brethren! Did I tell you that I'm in love with myself? I have a fifty or hundred foot statue made in my image in the temple I have set up for Lord Saddler. I'm trying to compensate for how short I am, you see."

"Sheila," Leon chuckled.

Sheila ignored as she was now was too busy being Salazar.

"Oh yes! I'm also in love with my parasite! It makes me want to fly! It makes me want to touch the sky!"

"Sheila.."

"Oh yes, I think about it every night and day! Spread my parasite tentacles and fly away!"

"Sheila!"

"Alright already! Sheesh! Some people are party poopers," Sheila fussed as she began walking back down, with Ashley trailing behind her.

"Well, I think you did a pretty good impression of the Saddler Mini-me," Ashley said comfortingly.

Sheila grinned and replied, "Nice one, Graham! I'm impressed. There may be hope for you yet."

Ashley snorted and rolled her brown eyes.

When they reached the bottom downstairs, Sheila handed Leon the box of pesetas with a innocent smile. It wasn't working, but he still smiled back. As they walked up the short spanned of steps, the teen took a last look around and sighed. It really was okay for a audience hall. Much more majestic than in the game. At least she got to stand at the balcony! No wander Salazar acted like he was all powerful from up there, you could see the most of the hall while looking down on people as they walked around, unaware of your presence. And you could throw stuff at people like she did earlier with Leon. He! He!

The next room was a relief to everyone. It had another rail car waiting for them, which meant less walking. Plus there was no windows which meant a nice cool fresh breeze was blowing in there. It was a cold November air, but all the more refreshing after being stuck in that castle for so long.

As memorizing as the sight was for Sheila as she gazed at the scenery, she noticed a problem. There was only one car.

"People, how are we going to do this," she asked hesitantly. And it was out, the dreaded question. How are they going to do this?

"There's two options. We take turns. Four go first, then the remaining two can go next when the rail car comes back. Or we could seat two of us on each seat, then cram the other two on the floor. Just take this into consideration. The ride is shorter, but count up all the time it would take to get there then send the car back, then ride up to the next destination to meet with the rest of us. Personally, I vote for the one way trip," Luis said as he put a hand on the door.

He was right, it would take longer for them to take two trips. But it won't be comfortable or safe for everyone in that rail car at once.

Everyone agreed to the one way trip, but it took a few minutes to settle who would sit on the cushions. Though the guys offered to let the women the seats, the women (meaning Claire) argued that the men took up more space. She won in the end. So, Chris and Luis sat on the left seat while Leon sat on the other. The girls discussed who would sit on the red cushion seat with the agent, each wanting to be considerate and all. Finally, Sheila was voted there for one good reason. Nobody wanted to hear her and Ashley bicker the entire trip. Claire and Ashley sat cross legged on the floor, the blond obviously pouting. Soon the car started to role. As they started to move, Sheila mentioned the merchant theory she has been thinking of for some time now.

"Here's a theory that just keeps nagging me. Okay, so the merchant, he's hungry. And one day he spots Mendez's special cheddar cheese. It's the expensive Delly kind. Well, he sneaks into his house and eats all the cheese. Mendez comes home to find a full merchant on his floor with a empty container that had 'Mendez's cheese' printed on it. The big chief goes berserk and tries to kill him. He even puts a bounty on his head so that anyone that comes near him has to shoot the merchant on sight. Well, the merchant had to then learn how to become invisible to save his skin! And that's how he gets around," Sheila said proudly. This got a lot of laughs and crazy looks. "Hey, it could happen."

"Then how did he become invisible?" Chris asked.

Sheila was silent as everyone stared at her, waiting. She finally spat out, "How should I know? IT'S ANOTHER CONSPIRACY!"

Everyone groaned. And so ends one part of the story. Thanks for sticking with this fic so far. I promise more to come!

**Author's Note: My eyes are drooping and my fingers are numb. It's freezing down here in the south and instead of sleeping in my warm bed, I'm sitting here writing this long, long, long, chapter. And I feel great... and tired. This chapter had not much action, I know. But I made it more of a insight chapter or whatever. I wanted to show how in real life, Leon would get suspicious of my character being all knowing. And it'll get more like that since where about to step it up a notch as the story progresses.**

**And this theory was from Kain Kenndy! Thanks for that great theory! I have some more theories to put up so stick around! Oh, and as for Luis. If anybody has seen Final Destination, then you know how death in that movie comes for ya if you don't die as designed. I wander what could happen to Luis now that he has unknowingly cheated death? Hmmm.**

**And another thing, thank you CrazyGunFire for that 'tearing Ashley's skirt' idea in the last chapter! Makes me happy that you readers send in your ideas. In fact, thank all of you for every theory, idea, and review so far! I've got 5,763 hits so far for this story! And 87 reviews! Some may have done better than me when they wrote as many chapter I have so far, but it still makes me happy that you peeps have taken the time to read and review. Really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Kay, enough of this mushy stuff! Send in theories if one hits ya. And I'm going to put up a poll soon for a future chapter up ahead. I'll tell you readers when I do. PEACE! **

**P.S. Uuum, I hope I wrote Ada alright. I was so inspired by AdaLeon fic that I had to write a little something with her in it! I wanted to show that although she was a spy, she still has to face her emotions and her inner struggle. And I'm not saying she's evil, just in what she calls her Grey area. Working for a unknown organization that nobody knows exists can be either or. It could be evil or a good thing. Only Ada knows. But then again maybe she doesn't. I think I'll write more of her as the story grows. After all, she had a part in the game too! O.k., I'm done now. Good night or should I say good morning. I'm tired, so catch ya later. **


	29. Chapter 28:A Toast to the King

**Authors Note: I love you people! You are so (sniffle) good to me.. Hehe! And since you reviewed and read the chapter, I give you another one! May it feel up your Resident Evil taste buds! Enjoy.**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 28: A Toast to the King and Queen**

Twenty minutes later, the rail car came to a halt. Since it wasn't as long as the other one, Leon, Claire and the other two girls didn't sleep, but instead enjoyed the ride. Chris and Luis on the other hand caught some shut eye, but not much. Both finding it hard to let their guard down completely.

As each member of the group got out of the comfy car, they each noticed the small room they were now in. It was simple, but had a flair of nobility. A portrait hung on both the left wall and the right. Sheila slowly sauntered over to the right portrait. The artist portrayed a elderly man sitting, seeming to be in deep thought. His whole countenance spoke of concentration. Sheila had to give the artist credit, he had a hand in realism. Too bad she had to knock it down to get the gold.

She turned around and pretended to stretch. As she raised her arms, she purposely lost her balance and fell backwards, hitting the painting. It swayed but did not fall.

"Wow. You're really clumsy," Ashley remarked.

The teen stuck her tongue out at the blond girl, then she turned around to act like she was trying to straighten it.

"Whoops!" Sheila stepped back in mock surprise as the portrait fell, revealing yet another secret compartment that held some bars of gold.

"Looks like being clumsy isn't so bad," Sheila said proudly as she stepped back to let Leon pick up the gold.

"Hmm, maybe too lucky," Leon responded.

Sheila ignored him and decided to study the two large knights beside each side of the door. Of course they wouldn't come alive, but the memory of the last knightly decorations she squared off with still sent chills down her spine.

"Time to go," Chris said with a pat on her shoulder.

Yeah, it was time to go for the red head. Memory lane not being fun and all. Chris opened the door and slowly walked in, his Blacktail raised as he scanned the area. Pictures hung almost on every inch of wall space. Some were more antique pictures of what Chris guessed were the Salazar family. The rest were paintings of people posing, walking, dancing, and scenery's of beautiful hill sides and castles. It was quite impressive. But the darkness made it eerie and some what creepy, combined with a certain melancholy quality.

Chris said in a low voice, "I'm going to check out the rest of this strip of hall and the room over there. Leon, you can head north."

Leon gave the others in the room the signal to be quiet as he left. He watched as Chris walked east, down toward the room.. (Not the armour room yet. Just the room where you find Luis's picture and statement on his death in the game.)

_Yeah, give me the much larger area to search while you get the hall and small room._

Leon stealthily hustled around the corner of the hall, only glimpsing at the beautifully decorated pictures on the hall. It was actually an art gallery, but Leon's mind was to preoccupied to notice the beauty of the room. As the hall ended, his eyes were adjusting to the darkness more rapidly. But this wasn't needed with this part of the corridor. All the windows were opened, letting in the wind which lifted the smooth red curtains, allowing the full moon light to touch the quiet area. The silver moonlight lit the room like it was mid day, hence why I just love full moons. It was so strange and had a hint of danger, yet so beautiful. Of course the agent missed this, his attention diverted by the lighted end where the doors were barred shut.

His steps were faintly heard as he walked down the red carpet, his eyes searching for the slightest move of anything dangerous. But when he reached the end, he found only two stone statues built into the wall. Their hands were cupped and held out in front of them, there solemn faces waiting. He read the inscription on the bust of the queen. _"A toast to our Royal Majesty_."

"Leon, I'm all clear here. What about you," Chris called out.

"Yeah, I've got nothing. Although it looks like we have another puzzle to solve to open these doors," Leon yelled as he walked back south to meet up with the now cursing Chris.

Sadly, this castle was not going to relent on torturing them with mindless tasks. When he walked around the corner, he saw the gang all standing around, discussing their next move. Leon approached them and explained what he saw.

"That means that the golden-, err, the keys to the door has to be something that fits in the royalty's hands. Probably a cup or grail or something," Sheila blurted out.

"Uuuh, yeah... Which means they're probably at the room on the West and the room in the east. So, let's do what we seem to do best. Split up," Chris said with authority.

Of course they did not like that plan, but he did have a point. So the group decided to split into three's. Chris, Luis, and Ashley will go to the West wing where the statue's have to be moved, and Leon, Claire and Sheila will go to the east where they'll face off with the Armaduras. Only Sheila knew of the dangers that lay ahead, though if her knowledge would keep them safe has yet to be decided.

"Since we're going to go off and head recklessly into danger, can we check on the merchant?" Sheila asked hopefully. At they're glances, she explained herself. "The blue door over there has the guns etched into it. Which means that the weird guy with the habit of showing up everywhere before us is in there? Remember?"

"Oh, yeah! He did mention to look for this door as we go along. Sounds like a good idea. What about you guys," Leon asked the other group.

Luis shrugged and it seemed that it didn't matter either way with him. Chris agreed while Ashley sighed dramatically. No one payed attention to her.

"Okay, let's go," Leon said to Sheila's delight. She ran to the blue door and burst through, excited to see the merchant sitting in a chair reading a Spanish newspaper.

The merchant's red eyes beamed with amusement as Sheila ran up to him while the others quietly came in.

"Well, well, well! Looks like you rescued the damsels in distress. I knew you could do it strangers," the merchant spoke as he laid his newspaper on the small table. He stood up and asked with a twinkle in his red, blood eyes, "So what'll it be strangers?"

After the usual business was dealt with, the merchant said with a happy tone, "Don't forget to use your free passes for my now ready shooting gallery."

Leon grinned and gave the merchant his pass, but the merchant said while waving him off, "No, no, stranger! Those are life time guaranteed. You shall be the first to test this out and some of my best costumers, so you will get to shoot for free any time you want!"

The merchant opened the red door and beckoned the group to go walked in a small room with a desk. Up above were some weapons mounted on a wall. The merchant walked behind the desk and sat on his stool. He closed his eyes and sighed. After ten seconds he looked at the crowd and began explaining the rules.

TEN MINUTES LATER

"Hey! That's cheating," Leon growled as Chris covered his eyes as a Salazar head appeared waaaaaaaaay in the back.

Claire encouraged her brother which made Leon a bit angry. She of course didn't want Leon to beat her 4050 high score. It was just unthinkable. But as always, Leon made it by elbowing the older Redfield in the ribs and shooting at the midgets head that almost got away. The back country scene wall fell back into place and the music died down. Leon whooped as the merchant called out the score. 4100 points was the new record.

The Redfields scowled as Leon said, "Now that's how you do it."

"Yeah, yeah. You win for now, Leon. But we'll get ya back later," Claire said with a pout, though her eyes twinkled with mischief.

Leon gave her a lazy grin and walked out of the shooting range with pride.

"That was done very well strangers. Not only did you get all but one bottle cap in this round, but two of ya broke my record! Fighting for your lives has been a great way of improving your shooting skills. Well, here you go, your bottle caps for round A," the merchant said as he brought up five bottle caps.

The Hero Trio grabbed their prizes with a puzzled look. Leon had two bottle caps with a figurine and a button on the side. One of the figurines was of himself with his favorite brown jacket on, holding a grenade in the air. He pushed the button and leaned in to catch what it said. His face turned kinda pale as his voice spoke loudly over the small intercom in the cap.

"Is that all you got! _click! _Here! Try coming back from this!"

BOOM!

Leon's eyes bore into the merchant as he wandered how the heck this guy recorded him saying that back at the farm in Pueblo.

FARM FLASHBACK

Leon's eye spotted an older man in the small brown building. By the looks of it, he could sneak past and enter the white barn across from him. That way, he saved ammo.

As Leon hopped over the small fence silently, he prayed that this worked. As it turns out, it won't. You know the term of looking where you leap first? Well, Leon didn't. He hopped through the open window of the old, white, decaying barn. Attracting a man just outside the old building, which in turn yelled and attracted the rest of the villagers in the farm area. Like lightening, Leon climbed the ladder in front of him. As soon as he reached the top, another male villager was waiting for him. A very big one.

Leon dodged out of the way as the fool charged and tried to skewer him with his pitchfork. He missed and fell off the hayloft, falling to the ground face first. Leon leaned over and watched as the barn was starting to fill with a angry, small mob. He kicked the ladder down and began firing his gun. This didn't faze the determined Ganados as they began to lift the ladder back up. A few started to throw knives, small axes and other assorted stuff at our hero. He dodged and fired at a few objects before they came near his person. He cursed as the last one nearly stuck him right between the eyes.

"Fine! You want to play ruff? I'll show you ruff!" Leon growled as he pulled out a grenade from his case. He then stood up and yelled, "Is that all you got?"

He then pulled the pin with his teeth and threw the grenade down, saying crazily, "Here! Try coming back from this!"

BOOM!

END OF FLASH BACK

"How did... You did?... What?" Leon tried to ask, but was too shocked to form a coherent question.

The merchant just gave him a wink and said, "It's a trade secret, lad! Can't go telling you strangers all my tricks, now can I?"

Leon then looked at his other bottle cap, studying it's features. It was a Mendez bottle cap. As you know, he isn't a handsome looking fellow, so under normal circumstances, Leon would have thrown it out. But since he never exactly feared the brute, he kept the funny figurine. It showed a tall Mendez in his trench-coat and bald head. But instead of a scowl that he normally wore, it showed a eerily smiling Mendez, holding a picture of cheese.

Leon pressed the small button and smiled as the famous crazy words came out in the silence. "Cheeeese."

Leon chuckled as he put the two figurines in his utility belt. That memory will live on till he died of old age.

"That was... creepy. And even creepier is this figurine of me," Chris said while showing his one bottle cap.

It of course showed Chris in his gear, holding the harpoon from his earlier fight with Leon and the giant fish. He was poised with the spear above his head, like a Roman soldier or my personal favorite, a Spartan. Chris couldn't resist pressing the tiny button.

"Oooooooh craaaaaaaaap!"

Sheila chuckled at Chris's comment, of course the word crap used in any sentence made her laugh. Moving on, she then walked over to Claire and saw the two figurines she held. The one in her left hand was of course a bottle cap of herself. She was dressed in all of her gear. The bullet proof vest, her guns, everything that she had on before they were taken from her.

Claire examined the figure of her; it was so detailed. Right down to the facial expression. The mini Claire was standing with her crossbow in hand, aiming at whatever she would be aiming at. Her face showed anger and determination, looking like she was zoning in on a nearby enemy. Sheila reached and pressed the button, eager to hear what Claire had to say.

"Nobody throws stuff at my brother but me!"

BOOM!

Sheila grinned at her hero, very impressed with the quote. Claire smiled back, though she wasn't that impressed. But after seeing the look on her friend's face, she handed it over. Sheila looked up in shock at Claire's offer. Of course she thanked her and did not attempt to say no. She was definitely keeping that little keepsake. As for the other bottle cap the older woman owned, it was one of Leon with his jacket off. In his hands he held a riot gun, a smirk planted on his face. Sheila's mouth watered as her finger drifted to the tiny button.

"Does this mean I get to take my shirt off?"

Claire's face began to turn red as Leon gave a nervous smile while all eyes turned on the two embarrassed people.

Chris raised an irritated eyebrow and asked, "So, when did that little incident happen?"

"Wow, look at the time! We have to get going," Sheila said while pulling on Claire's arm. She caught on and agreed.

"Yeah. We're waisting valuable time just standing around. Let's get this over with and move on," Claire said while pocketing the Leon bottle cap. Sheila envied that she had a Leon, but maybe later she could try and win the sixth one.

Everyone left the merchant's target range and private room. Of course Chris wasn't about to let it go, but that could be later. Right now, he had to get in the game.

"Stay sharp," Leon said to Chris.

Chris gave him a nod and replied, "Same thing applies to you."

Then, they separated yet again. Each person wandering if their nightmare will ever end. And of course the answer to that is heck no!

**R**

CHRIS'S TEAM

"Great, the door's locked," mumbled Luis.

Chris merely acknowledged the fact as he pressed a foot on the right corner pressure pad_. _

_Just like the ones back at the Water hall_.

The room was a rectangle shaped, with no furniture. It was tiled like a gold and white checker board, the floor shiny from every day cleaning. The walls were bare but had a flare of the medieval era. It wasn't too bad, it just felt a little empty is all. Glanced at the two knight statues, Chris began sizing up their weight. It would take some work, but then again, maybe he didn't have to use both statues.

"Ashley, Luis, stand on these two pressure pads over by the locked door. I'll stand on the one over in the left corner after I push the statue on the opposite one."

Ashley immediately obeyed, casting a nervous glance at the stone statues. Luis sighed and began to do as he was ordered, but seeing that Chris was going to push the statue, he decided to help.

"Luis, what are you doing?"

Luis smiled and put his hands on the statue. "Helping you. Looks like you could use some muscle."

Chris opened his mouth to defend his strength when the unexpected happened.

The statue began to topple over, in Luis's direction. As the heavy statue fell, Luis jumped to the side, narrowly escaping a unflattering death. The stone knight fell to the ground with a crash. Although it didn't shatter since it was made of stone, the knight's head did break and rolled over. All three were pale from what just occurred. Ashley had her hands covering her mouth, her brown eyes wide. Chris stood there looking at the Spaniard with a shocked expression. As for Luis, well, he just looked hard at the knight's head, shaking slightly.

"That... That was..." Chris began with difficulty.

"That was insane," said Ashley with a shaky voice. Luis didn't respond.

Chris sucked in some air, then let it out slowly. As much as he would love to not to continue, they had a job to do. So he stepped around the stone statue, then laid a hand on the mute Luis.

"Luis," Chris said gently. Luis didn't respond. Chris tried a more commanding tone. "Luis!"

The Spaniard looked up, disrupted from the shock.

"Are you-"

"Fine? Si, I am. Just a little shook up. But I'm okay now. Let's get this over with... Um, do you mind if you push the other statue alone?" asked Luis with a shudder.

Chris gave him a nod and positioned himself behind the second statue. As he pushed, Luis fought to keep focused and not think of what just happened. He didn't want to dwell on how that statue seemed to just topple over by itself, and almost made him a Luis pancake.

"Kay, all done. Let's get back on our pressure pads and see if this will do the trick."

**R**

LEON'S TEAM

"Hey Leon, look at this," said the teen.

The group haven't entered the Armor Suit room yet, they were actually still in the Annex main corridor gathering the items. Leon, who just finished with the small cupboard, walked around the table and took the documents. There was a letter and a photograph of Luis. The letter was not a nice one, that was very apparent.

_My brethren,_

_As you know, Lord Saddler retrieved the sample from that traitor, Luis. This should never have happened. We were the ones in charge of the girls and the sample. The very thought of my Lord having to finish what we have failed in, makes me sick! The Lord should not be bothered with these pesky problems. But, as always, his mercy far exceeds that of the human race. Our Lord Saddler forgave us of our transgressions._

_The Lord has told me that he's leaving us the certain American pest problem to take care of. Do not disappoint our Lord, or sadly there will be consequences. Kill the agent, the traitor, and the unknown man traveling with them. But keep alive the women, for our Lord has plans that includes **all **three of them. But, I do have a personal request... Do not kill Serra right away, take your time with him. Get creative as you show our traitor brother the meaning of loyalty. Then, when he can scream no more, kill him._

_Ramon Salazar_

Leon's face barely showed emotion. But his body seemed to tense up, his muscles coiling at what he just read. Sheila looked up at the silent agent while Claire put a hand on his arm.

"We won't let that happen, Leon. Nothing is written in stone," said Sheila with a hopeful tone. Leon looked down and gave her a half hearted smile.

"No, nothing is, is it? We won't let Luis die. We're all going to get out of here alive. Salazar and Saddler won't win, that I promise."

**R**

CHRIS'S TEAM

After everyone had got into position, the door they thought would open didn't. Instead, the beautiful decorated door with no door handle slid up, revealing a small room. This room had no furniture like the other joining room. But it's brightly decoraited walls was more beautiful and inviting then the other. On each wall was a beautiful painted mural of a woman dressed in what looked like biblical clothing. It looked like a painting of Mary, with people all around her in a mist. Somehow, it seemed very catholic, but then again, it didn't. Salazar wouldn't have aloud such paintings in his castle since his allegiance was now to a self appointed savior.

Chris went in first, followed by Luis and Ashley. To their disgust, Salazar stood by the opposite door, his back to them.

"I think you lived long enough," said Salazar in a satisfied voice.

Ashley began to back away, not liking the way he said those chilling words. What happened to kidnapping her and using her for evil purposes?

"Luis, you shouldn't have double-crossed us for these fools. Now, you shall face the consequences of your actions," Salazar said in a menacing tone. "Hehe! Let's see if you survive this time."

Chris pulled out his Blacktail and raised it to put the smug little guy out of everyones misery. Salazar just laughed and ran out as he pressed a switch outside of the door. The door locked behind the Castellan as the opposite door slammed into place. Spikes appeared from the ceiling as a loud mechanical sound from the roof began to shake the room. The roof began to descend, causing the walls sift and groan, causing Ashley to fall to her knees in a panic.

"Oh no! We're going to die!"

Chris cursed loudly while Luis tried to calm the hysterical blond. He began to try and kick the door that Salazar ran through, trying to force it open. It didn't work, making their situation look dire. Chris looked up at the ceiling, seeing that it now was only three feet away from his head. As it began to fall rapidly faster than before, Chris noticed the strange looking red lights. There were four, each at a corner area.

Luis saw them too, calling out while pointing, "Shoot those lights!"

Chris raised his gun and shot the one closest while Luis shot the other two. One left. The roof was now low enough to make Chris kneel. He raise his gun and prayed, "Please God, help with this shot."

The laser dot shook as his hands trembled. It seemed that God answered his prayer, the bullet blowing out the last red dot. The roof stopped to there relief, making Chris plop down on his back, dropping his gun. He closed his eyes as Luis was hugged by Ashley.

"We're alive! You people actually did it! Thank you!"

Luis patted the enthusiastic girl on the back as he walked over while slightly bending down to talk to Chris, careful in not standing fully up and being impaled by those nasty spikes.

"When we meet Ramon next time, remind me to snap his tiny neck," said the angry looking Spaniard.

Chris opened his eyes and agreed. "Yeah, but before you do that, let me have the chance to beat the ever-living crap out of him. Kay?"

Luis gave a chuckle and opened the door. "Sure. In fact, we'll give everyone a chance to take their revenge."

Chris smiled at this and picked up his gun as he quickly left the room. The other two followed, each on their guard. Chris gulped, gripping his gun tighter as he began to walk down the hall, this one way less glamorous than the previous rooms. As he walked, he noticed dark stains on the floor, quickly realising it as blood. He ignored it and began to quicken his pace, his gut telling him that something was about to happen again.

**R**

LEON'S GROUP

_This sucks! Why must we always separate? I mean, yeah, I'm glad I don't have to face the roof of doom or the hall of wrath with that Labyrinth Wanna-bee machine. But we should have just stuck together, that way we could face all this badnesswith better odds of surviving! Even better, at the other room, I could have ran in the Roof of Doom and grabbed the little bugger while the other ones aimed all their guns at him. We then could have taken him hostage and use him as leverage... Of course he's got that full grown parasite in him which means he could have pulled a Saddler and killed me and everyone else, except Ashley... Okay, this is a good plan. Oops, better stop thinking to myself and warn Leon of those knights up ahead_.

"Leon, wait," Sheila quickly spoke as she grabbed his arm.

He looked down and gave her a concerned look.

"Listen, me and Ashley faced a bunch of those creepy knights before, and they all stood perfectly still like these are."

Leon nodded and gave the perfectly still knights down the hall a hard look. "You're right. This will probably be a repeat of what happened to you girls. But we have to move forward. Sheila, Claire, stay here. I'll go first. If it's too much to handle, I want you two to leave."

Leon then walked consciously down the hall, his gun ready. His blue eyes darted back and forth at the knights, his heart beating rapidly. Then, the first knight struck. His axe came down, causing Sheila to gasp. But the ever cool Leon did a back flip, not fazed in the least. Sheila clapped and jumped up and down like a five year old. Leon peeked over his shoulder and gave her a heart melting smile. The teen sighed dreamily as he continued on. She began to wander why she ever doubted him.

Claire didn't look so pleased, especially when that knight crumbled into a pile of dust and junk. "Am I the only one not freaked by this?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Claire whacked the red head's messy hair. (Hey, having curly, thick hair can be a pain. It tangles easily and gets in the face allot. Now mix that with running for your life, getting kidnapped, beaten up and having Ganados getting shot all around you. Your hair gets pretty bloody and tangled up after all of that. Okay, back to the story!)

Leon stopped before the last two knights. He watched them for five seconds, then braced himself as he took one step forward. Another axe came down, which Leon dodged more quickly than before. It was a perfect somersault, making Sheila wish she could do that.

"Go Leon! You're the coolest!"

Leon turned around and bowed, enjoying the praise. Claire gave a fake pout and responded to Sheila's praise of Leon.

"Hey! What about me? I though I was the coolest."

Sheila rubbed her chin as if in deep thought. She shrugged and gave Claire an innocent stare.

"That was before Leon, Claire."

Claire chuckled and took the girls hand in her own and began to walk her past the knights.

As they walked past the last knight who was a pile of junk, Sheila couldn't help but wander aloud, "I don't get why they do that. What's with the crumbling after failing to kill their targets? Is it their way of committing suicide?"

"Teh. Truthfully, I don't want to know. It's hard enough seeing these people worshipping that freak Saddler. Having suicidal knights that come to life is probably just another sick thing that Saddler himself cooked up," Leon replied.

"Well, to me it's another conspiracy to figure-"

"Err, there's a golden cup in that room. Well, got to go and get it."

"Grail, Leon. It's a grail. And why don't you like conspiracies?"

"It's not that I don't like them, it's just that we need to get this over with," Leon said with a sigh.

Of course he could see that she didn't believe him. She looked like she was going to belt him, so now would be a good time to grab the grail and give her one of his winning smiles.

Sheila watched as Claire and Leon walked inside the circular room. To tell the truth, she was not wanting to go in with them. She knew that it was going to be a hard fight with those Armaduras. But, she felt compelled to help in some way. She took one step forward, but stopped. No, she did not want to be in there. Those two were capable of handing it.

Leon and Claire reached the small, round table in the middle of the room. There they saw the golden grail with a small round picture of the outline of a king. Leon tilted his head and read the small plate on the table. "May wrath of evil befall the one who disturbs this holy grail. Wrath?"

"What did you expect? This Salazar guy has a major ego issue, plus a sadistic sense of humor towards intruders. It's probably booby trapped among other things," said Claire with wave of her hand.

Leon agreed and put a hand on the grail, hesitating for a moment. "Maybe you should-"

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Leon questioned, perfectly aware of what she was applying.

Claire narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "You know what. You're going to tell me that I need to get out of the room so you can face the big bad by yourself. Well, save it. I'm a grown woman Leon, and I don't need you to protect me. You will probably need help, so let's not go through the whole routine of debating rather if I should stay or not. I'll win like always, so let's skip it and get this over with."

Leon snorted. "Typical."

Claire's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Leon smiled and gave her a lazy grin. "Typical. Typical Claire Redfield response. And you're right, you win. But one of these days, I'm going to win."

Claire tilted her head and flashed him her pearly whites.

"Before you grab that grail, I want you two to know that something bad will happen. It might be like Indiana Jones with that artifact he tried to snatch. Remember that scene when he carefully replaces the golden idol with a pouch filled with sand or whatever to replace the weight? Let's do that!"

"Two problems with that plan. A. We don't have a pouch of sand nor do we know the weight of the cup. Hell, we don't even know if lifting this cup will trigger anything. Plus, we have no idea if it has the same mechanism like the movie," Leon stated. After seeing the teens face fall with disappointment, he quickly tried to take the harshness out of his words. "But it is a good plan. I wouldn't have thought of it... Hey, we'll try it anyway with something else."

Leon took out his case and pulled out his pouch. As they study the grail, I'll tell you what happened to the other group.

**R**

CHRIS'S GROUP

Chris and Ashley walked inside what looked like a old whine or beer cellar shaped like a L. Large barrels and shelves lined the walls, along with crates.

"Hmm. Wouldn't mind a beer," Chris began saying but Ashley stopped him in mid sentence.

"No! You are not going to drink on the job. I really don't want to die because you were too drunk to lift a single finger to help."

Chris stuck his tongue out at her when she turned her back to him.

Luis chuckled as he walked toward the doorway, but bars came down in front of him, separating him from the others.

"What the? This is not good!" Luis exclaimed.

Chris banged on the bars, searching urgently to find a way to open it. A rumbling came from down the hall. Luis whipped around, his heart jumping to his throat. The sound grew steadily louder till a machine burst through the wall. Like I said before, this was a rusty looking knock off from the Labyrinth one in that movie. But instead of two goblins bicycle riding behind it, two Ganados were on a front seat in front, driving it with levers and gears. Their laughter bounced off the walls as they made there way to kill their trapped prey, the drill and blades whirling around and around.

Luis quickly turned and began beating and kicking the barred doorway. "GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"I'm trying! There's no switch," Chris yelled as he frantically looked all around.

"Well... FIND ONE, REDFIELD!"

Ashley watched in horror from behind Chris as the death machine got closer and closer. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her brain.

"Chris, get you sniper rifle out and shoot them!"

Chris turned and shouted, "WHAT?"

"Chris!" Luis yelled as the machine was now over a third of the way there.

Chris sprung into action and brought out the rifle. He told Luis to get down as he carefully aimed, hoping that he wouldn't screw up and hit the bars. From the right side, he could bag the right monk. He fired, blowing the monks' head off. Blood and skull fragments splattered across the side of the fellow monk, who ignored the gore. His red eyes burned as he threw his head back and laughed.

Chris stepped to the left and aimed again, firing off a shot. It ripped through the Ganado's heart, leaving a gaping hole that spilled blood all over the machine. His body convulsed uncontrollably. Luis trembled, his feet clattering as the machine was nearly on top of him, shaking everything. The bars then slid up; Chris grabbed the stunned Spaniard and dragged him away around the corner. The machine crashed through the doorway, stopping as it hit the thick barrels. Liquor poured out and caused the machine to short out. Then all was silent.

After the dust cleared, the group edged around the corner, staring at the wreck. It was a victory, but a costly one.

"What a waste of alcohol," Chris said remorsefully. Luis agreed.

Ashley rolled her eyes and turned around, seeing the Queen's grail. She sauntered over and snatched the golden cup. Like the king, it had the out line of a queen. Chris peered over her shoulder and stared at the grail.

"All this for a stupid cup."

"Stop complaining. For all we know the others could have had a worse time," Ashley hissed.

Chris backed away, surprised at her hidden concern for the other group. Maybe there was more to her than he thought.

"Yeah, well I doubt they faced a machine trying to drill them to death because a certain someone took his time to kill them!"

Chris turned around and gave Luis a heated look. "Hey! I was caught by surprise, so I'm sorry for trying to find a way for you to get out of there first. It didn't occure to me that killing them would open the door! Plus, I was under a lot of pressure by your predicament. Speaking of killing... Don't you have a gun?"

Luis opened his mouth, then shut it. A slow embarrassed smile graced his features.

"Oh... I do.. Heh. Well, like you said my friend, I was under a lot of pressure."

**R**

BACK TO LEON'S GROUP

"Easy Leon! Sheesh!" Sheila hissed as Leon slowly inched the grail over with his left right hand.

Claire was beside him, holding Sheila's pouch of money. As you can see, they decided to go with Sheila's plan. But the decision to do that took a little time. Then the small argument over who's pouch would go in place of the grail took about five minutes more. But in the end, Claire settled the argument between the two stubborn people and made a compromise. They would take Sheila's pouch of money, add a bar of gold from Leon's stash, then use the leather pouch as a replacement for the king's grail. Leon would pay Sheila back with upgrades for her Punisher for her loss of the money she accumulated. And the money that Leon added to make the pouch heavier will be paid back by Sheila by not mentioning a theory for an hour. It was hard, but Claire got both to agree with the terms.

"Almost there," said Leon, a drop of sweat dropping from his forehead.

His nerves felt shaky as he handled the grail, although not knowing why he felt nervous. For all he knew, nothing would happen if he just picked the stupid gold cup up. But he was out voted by the two women. So there he was, acting out a Indiana Jones scene.

"Wait... wait... NOW!" Leon cried out as he finally moved the grail off the pressure point. Claire had quickly placed the leather pouch in place, waiting for the inevitable. Nothing. All was quiet.

"It worked... IT ACTUALLY WORKED!" shouted Sheila as she grabbed Leon and hugged him like life itself was about to end.

Leon laughed and squeezed her back, relieved that no wrath or traps were set off. "Not bad, Sheila. Not bad at all."

"Oh crap," gulped Claire as the sound of shifting gears was heard through the walls.

Sheila let the stunned agent go and yelped when the decorative bars slammed down, barring them from escaping. Sheila's noticed the knights appear at three different secret door thingy's. Her heart felt like it stopped as the reality of her dire situation washed over her like cold ice water.

Sheila, Leon, and Claire backed up to the barred doorway, watching as the shiny, polished knights began their march, axes in hand. Sheila saw a grenade on Leon's belt, the strategy that she usually used on the game coming to mind. She grabbed it, causing Leon to cry out in surprise.

"Everyone don't move! Not yet anyways," said the scared teen.

"Not much choice in the matter," Claire retorted as she brought out her Uzis. Leon had his Riot gun, aiming at the fast Armaduras.

They raised their weapons in the air, now four feet away, completely blocking any chance of escape. Sheila pulled the pin and tossed it to the floor, causing Leon to curse. He pushed the two girls down, covering them with his larger body. The grenade went off, deafening the three. Leon let them go and urged them to run, despite of being a bit disoriented by the blast. Sheila didn't hear a word, since all the sounds sounded as if it was muffled and going at a slow speed.

Leon grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, dragging her between two kneeling Armaduras. When they were on the other side of the room, the creatures were up and ready to kill. Leon pushed the girl behind him and aimed at the closest one. He fired, hitting it in the chest, but not doing any harm. He heard the infuriating red head shout to shoot them in the head. Leon then aimed at the second Armadura who was coming at him from the left. One shot caused it to stumble back, as if in surprise. He didn't have time to fire again, the first one had made it to him and was swinging it's large axe. Leon jumped back, causing Sheila to fall to the ground.

Meanwhile, Claire was dealing with only one of the three. She had a lip curled as she nimbly dodged the persistent metal, walking trash can. She popped off a few rounds at the seven foot knight's head, the bullets not doing much but annoy the creature. Claire snorted at this as she rolled to the right, narrowly escaping from being cut in half.

"You know, you really come on too strong. You're just not hot enough for me," said Claire as she threw a Incendenary grenade at the dark knight.

The creature stopped as flames licked at the armor. It looked down, seeming to try to comprehend the fire. Claire took this chance to perform a drop kick, catching the Armadura by surprise. It fell with a loud crash, sprawled out humorously. Claire grabbed the heavy axe, struggling for a second to hold it with both hands.

"Guess I was wrong; you are on fire, baby! Don't lose your head over it," said Claire with a smirk.

She then raised the axe with all her strength and brought it down where the neck line was. The helmet flew off, leaving a gaping hole. Claire sighed and turned to walk away. The sound of something slippery waving around stopped the auburn haired beauty.

She turned and saw with disbelief as a stage one parasite bubbled to the surface, whipping two tentacles around before the head split open to reveal a very long tentacle with a razor edged bone. Not good.

Meanwhile, Leon and Sheila kept close together, though the teen felt like running away and staying out of the fight. But that would not be a smart thing to do, considering that one would most likely follow her. So, she blindly shot at the Armaduras, trying to help the struggling agent.

Leon's frustration towards the knights was reaching its peek. He was tiring of running, turning around and seeing that the distance he tried to put between them was not that good. So, he took out a flash grenade and threw it, covering his eyes as it went off.

The knights stopped and knelled, dazed and off balance. Leon smiled and fired one shot each at the left and right knight. Their helmets popped off, revealing more parasites.

"Now see there, why would you want to hide a pretty face like that?" Leon commented as he began firing at the right knight.

Two shots later, the head exploded causing the suit to crumble to the ground in pieces. Leon wasted in no time to run back with Sheila, his gun raised. The knight stood up, screeching as it literally picked up speed and began it's pursuit.

Meanwhile, Claire was firing at the monsters head from her own parasite, which merely pestered the Las Plagas. To her dismay, this form of the Armadura was much more faster than when it had it's helmet and axe. Now, it chased her with it's stupid whipping razor tentacle at a speed that had her constantly running. She barely had time to register that Leon had killed one, let alone being pursued by an identical knight to hers. She faintly heard Sheila shout about using the flash grenades. Claire heeded the teen and began rummaging through her pack blindly while dodging the knight's thrusts from it's long, slimy appendage.

Meanwhile, Sheila was trying desperately to get Leon's case off of him, but being chased by a too fast Los Plagas was no picnic in the park.

"Leon! Stay still for a sec!"

"Sure! And why don't you take my place and-"

"Leon, I'm trying to get the case so I can get to the flash grenades. Can you be a little more supportive?"

Leon did not reply, instead he shot the parasite's head or bubbling body of puss, dropping it to it's knees. He then quickly used that brief time of reprieve and took the case off. He opened the case to grab one of the three flash grenades he had left, but out of the blue a armor foot slammed down on the case. Leon looked up to see the Armadura, whipping the tentacle above his head like a victory flag.

Leon took out his knife and began to counter strike against the deadly appendage. Sheila meanwhile grabbed a flash grenade and tried to get Leon out of the away so she could throw it. No use in using it now when the hero was in harms way. He'll be no good as a temporary blind, death man when the next set came out to play.

"Move out of the way!" Claire shouted as she ran towards the two.

An Armadura was right behind her, it's armor was slightly steaming and had a burnt look at certain parts. Either way, Leon rolled out of the way while Sheila just plain ran. Claire had found her last flash grenade and was she ever ready to use it! Circling the two Los Plagas who were now back together, she decided to use the grenade. A bright flash went off, exploding the parasites.

Leon and Claire sighed with relief while Sheila clutched her single flash grenade, knowing the nightmare was not over yet. Gears began shifting, and the stones slabs that had flipped before began moving again. For a second, the gears stopped, giving Leon and Claire a false sense of relief. But alas, it was not so. Ha! That sounded so dramatic. Anyway, the gears began groaning as the door slabs flipper-roo thingy's began to turn.

"Great, more knights," Leon muttered angrily.

"Yeah, but this time their shinier, and have really big swords," said the frightened girl.

True, the Armaduras were big, and looked like they had golden armor, (Which I highly doubt since Ramon likes his money spent on him and traps... I think.) but that didn't stop the three from getting ready to fight. Claire took out her bowgun and loaded a powder clip. (The one that explodes) Leon grabbed a flash grenade and prepared to throw it. Sheila... Well... Her mind tried to find that happy place again.

_Think about beaches..._

The faster, elite knights quickly began to herd the group towards the closed off exit. De-ja-vu. This time Leon threw a grenade, which detonated just in time. The three turned their heads while the flash grenade went off. From the lack of the loud clamouring of approaching knights, the three split took this opportunity of distraction from their enemies to split up to opposite sides of the room.

When satisfied with the somewhat safe distance, Claire turned and fired first. Her arrow clanked against the armor before going off, making a fine, small explosion.

Pieces of the armor flew here and there. An arm, two legs, the knights head. You'd think it would die, but no, it didn't. As it so happens, the centipede plagas crawled out of the remaining armor breastplate, unharmed and free to move along on the floor. Claire couldn't believe her eyes.

_Now how did it survive that_?

Leon cursed as the knight he been shooting revealed a centipede plagas.

"I can't stand these things," Leon muttered as he jumped back from it's slimy, snapping jaws.

When Sheila didn't respond, he turned his head to see that she wasn't there. He began to panic till he saw the red head running around the small, black table in the middle of the room. An Armadura was chasing her, reminding the agent of a Peppy Lepu episode, minus the life threatening danger the skunk represented as he was chasing the cute cat.

Leon growled as the Las Plagas tried to yet again bite his head off, literally. He brought his riot gun up and aimed, but the Plagas saw where he was going with that. Don't ever say these things don't learn a new trick or two. Leon learned this as it stretched down and grabbed the gun with it's large mouth, yanking it from the agent's hands.

"What the? HEY! STOP EATING MY GUN!"

Claire cursed as the Plagas ran around on the floor, dodging her every move.

"Stay still so I can kill you," Claire yelled as she chased it across the room.

Disgusted, she put the bow-gun back in her pack, tired of chasing the stupid freak. She decided to takecare of business with a more hands on approach. She grabbed her Rambo knife and began to chase the plagas. Her yell would have impressed Xena if she was real. Or even Carol Bernett, the queen of the Tarzan call.

The Plagas ran over to the teen being chased by it's brethren. It turned to look up and see an outraged Claire, and her large, sharp knife. It hissed and ran under the small round table. Waiting for it's chance to strike.

Claire stopped and smiled when she saw Leon's open case by the doorway. The last, remaining flash grenade catching her eye.

While Claire was running to get the grenade, Leon was hitting, kicking, inflicting any kind of damage he could to the parasite who was busy swallowing his Riot gun. It was an outrage to the agent that this creature took his gun. Each time he delivered a powerful kick, he knocked it back towards the round table. Soon, the two were in the middle of the chase that was going on with Sheila and the Armadura. When the teen saw that Leon was there, (along with the parasite), she realized now may be the time to hide.

She bent down to see that the space was already occupied by a centipede like Las Plagas, who was curled up and watching the show. She jumped back, clearly at the end of her rope. She pointed her punisher at the creature and began to empty her clip. The centipede screamed and turned around to face the girl. Slime oozed out of it's large jaws, mixing with the yellow puss that leaked out of it's wounds. Sheila gulped when her gun clicked.

The creature backed up, ready to charge. At that moment, Sheila couldn't help but wander how this creature with it's tiny legs could move at all.

_Well, the centipede can move fast so I guess this critter can do the same - and why am I rambling when I'm about to get attacked?_

The sound of Claire shouting as she threw the flash grenade broke through her chaotic thoughts. It was as if every thing went in slow motion. Leon running toward her, yelling for her to get out of the way in the slow-motion movie way. Strange, and yet so cool in the Matrix kind of way.

Then everything sped up. Leon was by her side, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. The flash went off, killing both the parasites. The only knight left was kneeling on his knees, dropping his sword.

"Claire! Hand me a grenade," Leon shouted as he ran toward the knight.

Claire obeyed, reaching inside her pack to grab the grenade.

"Here, catch," Claire called out urgently as she threw the weapon. Leon caught the grenade like a NFL football player, picking up speed as he ran to the Armadura.

He stopped and opened the knight's helmet, seeing nothing. He smiled as he pulled the pin and dropped the weapon inside, closing the face plate. He then did a back-flip as the knight began to frantically beat it's chest. The explosion sent metal fragment and pieces all over the round room. Some pieces fell on the three, but it was worth it. The parasite was dead, leaving nothing but slime and dust behind.

"Well, that was new," Sheila said softly.

The sound of the bars raising caught every-ones attention. It was over. The three dusted themselves off, all happy at being alive. While Claire checked on the teen, Leon walked over and picked up his Riot gun from the Armor rubble. It was slimy and had a disgusting odor, but most disturbing of all is that the barrel of the gun was bent.

"So, is your gun damaged or anything," Sheila asked behind him, startling the older man. He turned around and gave her a searching look.

"Next time, make a sound. You're going to give me a heart attack," said Leon sternly, though his eyes showed no ill will towards her. She smiled bashfully and mumbled an apology.

"Yeah, the barrel is bent which makes it useless," Leon sighed.

Sheila put a comforting hand on his arm and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Leon. I'm sure you will replace it with a better shot gun that holds more ammo."

Leon smiled down at her, though his gut again told him that she knew something.

"Well, that was interesting. Going through that for a gold grail... Oh, the irony," Claire muttered as she picked up the grail up from the floor.

She shook her head and began strolling towards the door. Leon and Sheila followed. Remembering that she was leaving something valuable behind, the teen ran back to the surprise of the others. She came back a couple of seconds later, her leather pouch in hand.

"Can't forget my money," she stated.

As they walked down the hall, you could here Leon's voice say, "You know, one bar of gold in there is mine."

And thus to Claire's annoyance, the two argued over the fine print of their deal they made earlier.

**R**

"Where are they," Ashley asked for the hundredth time. Her whole demeanor showed impatience, annoyance, and uncertainty.

Chris shook his head as he leaned against the table, staring at the double doors. He had hoped that they were finished when they came out earlier so that they could move on. But when they checked on the merchant, he just told them that they would be along shortly. They just had to take care of security. The security part worried Chris.

As he continued to stare at the door, he promised himself that if they did not come through that door in ten seconds, he was going in. But he didn't have to. The double doors burst open, revealing the three looking dirtier and more tired than before.

Claire weakly held up the goblet and said, "We got the King's grail."

Ashley held up the Queen's grail, giving a small smile. Sheila chose that time to speak.

"Can we go back to the shooting gallery? We didn't have time for me to have my turn. Besides, I want that sixth bottle cap!"

Since everyone was tired and wanted a little break, they did.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER...

"Finally! Dang, that's harder than it looked! Stupid farm Ganados," Sheila muttered as she put the handgun down. She chose Sniping over Rapid fire... It was allot harder than it was on the game.

The merchant's voice came over the intercom. "You got 3090 points, and you killed 23 out of 25 Ganados. Come get your prize, lass!"

Sheila squealed and ran back through the blue doors. The merchant chuckled as she jumped up and down, eagerly waiting as he bent down to grab the bottle cap.

"Here you go, lass! This one I made special, just for you."

Sheila's eyes grew wide as she slowly took the bottle cap from his hand. It was an exact replica of her! The bottle cap had her standing with a hand on her hip and the punisher held up in her other hand. She had a smirk on her face, making Sheila beam with pride. She pressed the button.

"Nunya... You know, Nuuuuuuunyyyyyaaaaaaa!... None-of-your-business. Nunya."

Sheila laughed, pleased at that line he picked... How he got it, well, that's part of the mystery surrounding the Merchant. For now... Muah! Hahahahahahahaaaaa!

She thanked the merchant, who in turn raised a hand and said, "Don't thank me yet. I got ye another prise, one that you can split with the others who played."

The merchant brought out the cash prize. 15,000 pesetas.

Sheila turned and said, "See, now aren't you glad I wanted to come back?"

After dividing the spoils, the gang set out once again. Of course they came across the monks waiting for them at the end of the long room. But that was no problem. Leon had his Sniper rifle while Chris had his Riot gun. They soon blew away the opposition.

Chris chuckled while he said, "They didn't know."

"Know what?" Claire asked. Chris turned and smirked at his sister.

"The eleventh Chuck Norris commandment. Thou shall not p-ss off Chuck Norris."

Claire whacked Chris in the back of his head, giving a reprimand.

"First of all, you're not Chuck Norris. Second of all, you'll never be Chuck Norris," Claire stated while walking past him.

Chris snorted, but soon got a jab in the arm from Sheila. He rubbed his arm, looking down at the fuming red head.

"That's for adding a commandment to the ten commandments!"

"But... That wasn't a ten commandment thing! It is just one of many Chuck Norris facts! One that is rarely enforced since it is rarely accomplished!"

"Oh. Well, don't use the name of Chuck Norris in vain! Or I'll open up a Chuck Norris can of pain on you," Sheila threw out over her shoulder.

Chris grumbled and followed the gang. Of course they were just picking on Chris, after all, he was the oldest. Hehe! Well, that's all for now. Next chapter will be up when I have a time to sit! Toodles!

**Authors Note: Thanks to Lady Tatum for the Chuck Norris fact! And I would like to thank all those who have reviewed so far. Reviews are the key to an authors heart! Hoped ya'll enjoyed it, it took me awhile to finish do to how long it was and me being busy. The next chapter will have some theories on the merchant, so yay for theories! Remember, review or lose. Lose what, I have no idea. I just like the sound of it. That's all. Bye! **


	30. Chapter 29:Kidnapped Again!

**Authors Note: Welcome back! After a long chapter like the last one, I wandered if I made it to long or not. But in the end, I decided that long was good so here's another one. It may not be as long as the last one, but it will definitely be long! So enjoy, leave a review, and don't forget to read the bottom Authors note. I have a request for everyone. **

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 29: Kidnapped... Again!**

"Steve," exclaimed Claire, her beautiful familiar face becoming more clear as she quickly came closer.

She found him. He wasn't so sure if that was a good idea. But seeing her beautiful face was like the bright shining sun, chasing away the night's darkness. He tried to move, but the very large Axe pinned him to the wall. He himself had tried to move it earlier, but the blade was embedded in the wall to deep.

"Claire," he said faintly.

He closed his eyes as his heroine tried to remove the Axe. She didn't even budge it. But that didn't stop her. No, not Claire Redfield. Fear gnawed at his belly, dreading what that lunatic Alexia had injected him with. He had to warn Claire.

"It's stuck! Hang on, Steve! I'll find a way," Claire said with determination. Steve shook his head.

"Claire, that woman. She did something to me. She stuck a needle in my neck and-... Huh?"

Steve could hear his heartbeat, beating a steady rhythm, yet it seemed to pound through out his chest cavity. His body tensed as a pain ripped through his chest, the virus kicking in. His skin felt like it was too tight while his lungs constricted.

"Oh no, the pain!"

"Steve? What's-"

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! CLAIRE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He watched as Claire jumped back, her eyes growing huge as his skin ripped, blood spraying as his bulk increased in size. He cried out her name again, but his own voice sounded foreign as his world was consumed with the need to kill. A feminine voice whispering one simple order in his brain. To kill the girl. Kill. Kill. Kill.

The red haired young man woke up with a start. Beads of sweat covered his face while his body was slick with it. His breathing was labored, while his heart raced. He felt his chest, his face, everything. It was all human, not some vile creature. He closed his eyes, feeling relieved.

He slowly shifted and put his feet on the cold tiled floor. His green eyes scanned his surroundings. The room he was in was small. There was no dressers, pictures, nothing. Just himself, the hospital bed, a heart monitor, and a hospital curtain. What puzzled him was how he could see every detail with no light. He could even hear the sound of people behind the two way mirror, their discussion about him and his heart rate. He didn't like that.

He rubbed his face, trying to remember the nightmare. It was already fading, he was fading. He didn't like that. With no memories, he felt cold.

_Think! There was you, a giant Axe, and... and... a girl! Now, what was her name?... ARG_!

Frustration filled his being as the memory faded into the darkness of his mind. The chip in his brain let out a short, spurt of electricity; erasing the memory and leaving no trace of Steve Burnside. The killing machine laid back down, his eyes now turning from for inhuman orange and red color, then to a blackness that gave the appearance of nothing there. A great big void of darkness. Those frightening eyes were now staring up at the ceiling. After a moment or two, he then closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

"He's having nightmares, now. They could be memories," said an elderly scientist. He didn't look to pleased as the young scientist, Heath Cliff, paid no mind.

"Of course he will have memories popping back up! But my chip takes care of that, trust me. It will keep GV-23 in line, keeping any memory at bay," the brown haired scientist said with a pompous air.

The elderly man shook his head, not liking the young man at all. It was no secret that he was Wesker's pride and joy in the scientific department. The young man was a genius, but he lacked wisdom that a experienced scientist needs. Just like Birkin.

"It may keep his memories tightly locked up, but how do you know that he just won't kill you. Your combination of the G-virus and T-Veronica virus was a dangerous move! This young man isn't ready for a-"

"Watch it old man, or I'll just have to report to Wesker of your insubordination. After all, he did give me control of this department," Heath warned between clenched teeth.

The older man backed down, knowing that one word from this young whipper snapper could get him in serious trouble. So, he merely nodded and turned to leave. Before he left the room, he asked in a stern tone, "Are you going to tell Mr. Wesker about these ever curing nightmares?"

Heath didn't even look as he answered, "Of course, Jones. What do you take me for, a fool?"

Jones decided not to answer that question, leaving the young mad scientist alone with his thoughts.

"Telling Wesker would be the stupidest mistake I would ever make. He'd scrap you in a second, GV-23. No, your memory flashes will be a well kept secret," Heath whispered, his thin mouth curving into a sadistic smile.

**R**

Claire felt a shiver go down her spine. A feeling had swept over her. A feeling of foreboding...

"Claire, you alright?"

Claire shook her head as she glanced at the concerned teen beside her. "I... I don't know. I just have this feeling."

Sheila nodded with understanding. "I know what you mean. Your gut just tells you that something bad is coming yet again. Like what lays beyond those double doors down the hall. I just know that something will happen."

Claire barely heard her as she stared at the doors_. _

_No, that's not it. Something else..._

"Ashley, get away from that vase!," Sheila yelled.

Claire jumped at the loud volume the short woman made. Everyone stared at her, causing the girl to blush.

"Um, I just don't want you to break it," Sheila lied.

Claire looked hard at the girl, catching the lie. Sheila always had a hard time telling a lie. The girl would get a guilty look while telling the fib, which was rare since the teen was pretty much honest when it came to her thoughts. In fact, the girl was too truthful at times. But whatever made her react that way, she wasn't going to question. It seems that whenever Sheila had a feeling, it came true.

"I guess we need to get going," Claire said casually.

The others nodded and began to move when another scream broke through the air. Ashley was shaking horribly as she pointed at a snake slithering out of the vase. It's eyes were red and glowing as it opened it's mouth. Leon raised his gun and fired twice, killing the Adder. Claire quickly strolled over and put an comforting arm around the pale blond twenty year old. And what seemed like the hundredth time that night, all eyes turned to Sheila.

"Alright, now how did you know about that," asked Chris. Sheila looked outraged as everyone stared accusingly at her.

"What do you mean?"

"He means that you seem to know allot about this castle," Leon stated calmly.

Sheila felt like she should run as panic set in. But she didn't show it. Instead, she calmly replied, "I don't know. I'm just well tuned in to my instincts. I'm not a psychic or some vision... person."

"You know what? This is ridiculous. What does it matter if she seems to have good instincts or whatever. Let's just go," Ashley said irritably after finally letting go of Claire.

The others seemed to agree and continued to proceed down the hall. Sheila lagged behind, a little perturbed at the not so settle accusation. Feeling spightful, she decided not to show where some more pesetas were. Which didn't matter cause the guys took it upon themselves to look through the small cupboards.

"Sooooo... How about another theory," Chris said with a hopeful tone. He really didn't want to have any bitter feelings floating around the group. Sheila decided to forgive and give another theory.

"Well... The merchant strikes me as a mischievous fellow. So here's how one of his many tricks that got him in to trouble. He decided to play ding-dong ditch in this rich looking neighborhood. It so happens that he picked a mansion that belonged to Kain. The first time, Kain opened the door and chalked it up to hearing things. He went back inside to his little get together with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. The merchant did it again and quickly hid."

Leon sighed and shook his head. Sheila continued while ignoring him.

"Well, Kain knew he wasn't crazy 'cause the other two heard it too. So, he opened the door and saw that nobody was there again. Now he was getting mad. So he and the others agreed to stay by the door to catch him. Poor merchant fell for it, and pressed the door bell. The three powerful wrestlers opened the door, staring at the merchant, dressed in the same garb he dresses in today. Needless to say the three roared and chased the merchant, trying to tombstone him, body slam, you name it, they tried it. Basically the merchant made new enemies who would never stop in hunting him down. That's when the merchant learned Tai jutsu to get away from a major butt whooping!"

"Uum... So, how does he get here so fast," asked the confused agent. Sheila didn't disappoint him.

"Never underestimate the power of Tai jutsu. He has learned so much stealth from it that he could come up and kick ya in the booty and you wouldn't even know it!"

As you know, she got either a amused look or a worried one that spoke volumes of being worried over her mental health. But that didn't stop the theories being tossed around.

"I give your theory a five. Ow! Hey! Kidding! Well, here's the best theory of all," Chris began proudly, though his arm was going to have a bruise from Claire's punch.

"Alright. He's a big organic weapon that is told to sell weapons."

Claire scratched her head, thinking hard.

"Wasn't that a theory already used?"

Chris shook his head vehemently. "No, that's a new one."

"Alright, I can't take it. I have to step in and give the right theory," said the confident agent.

Sheila rolled her eyes and sauntered over till she stood right in front of him. "Leon, you're out of the MIT club."

Leon looked confused, casting a questioning glance at the rest of the group. Luis seemed like he was the only one who got it.

"Oh! I forgot to tell y'all that I formed a club for those who participate in the theories," said Sheila before casting a accusing look at Ashley. "It stands for Merchants Insane Theories! You Leon, well, you're being kicked off the island," Sheila said dramatically. Leon raised an eyebrow and stared till the girl squirmed. "Well, maybe not. I'll allow you back in if this theory is a good one."

"Oh, you're so kind," Leon stated sarcastically. Sheila smiled at the sarcasm and decided to let that one pass. She could see that it was in fun. "Alright. The merchant is a highly trained ninja using his stealth skills to skip ahead. That is why he has recorded those little sayings."

Sheila smiled and gave Leon a quick hug. "See, you can come up with insane theories."

Leon frowned. "But that wasn't - oh forget it. So I'm back in the club?"

Sheila gave a wink and replied, "Yeah, you're in. Although, what you said did make since."

Sheila then got a strange look on her face and began to look around.

"Guys, do you realize that he could be in this very room, right now. Listening to every word we say," Sheila whispered. The whole group paled, looking around nervously.

"I... think we should go," Claire said with some urgency.

She got no arguments. Theories now being shelved for the moment, the teen began to think of the inevitable in the near distance future. With every step taken, Sheila felt her panic level rise. She knew that Ashley and herself would be the targets for the insects, the very thought disgusting her. She already experienced the firm grip from those freaks.

Her eyes shifted back and forth, noticing the broken windows. She could see the full moon, shining brightly in the night sky. How she wished she was home with her family right now. Watching movies, playing games, arguing over who gets the last slice of Mom's cake. That was the life!

Once, they reached the doors, Leon began to talk in a low voice.

"Chris and I will go in first and scout the room. If it's safe, we'll let you know. But if isn't, well, we'll run back in here and stand our ground... Wait. Where's Sheila?"

"Over here."

Everyone jumped, then glared at the broken window. Sheila smiled and spoke eagerly, "There's a ladder that leads to a higher level and has a open window to see inside. Come on, let's go!"

"Sheila, get back here! D-mn it! Come on, let's go," said the worried agent.

The group followed Leon out of the window and up the ladder. When they reached the top, Sheila stood at the far end, leaning against the wall. In her hand she had a Butterfly lamp which glittered under the moonlight. She couldn't help but smile smugly as Leon took it.

"Well, good job. But next time, don't run ahead like that. You could get hurt or taken again," said Leon with a worried tone.

Sheila felt a pang of guilt for worrying them. Her reasoning for disappearing like that was to show them the other way inside without raising suspicions. As if stumbling upon this little entry way. It must of worked, because the suspicions and accusing looks were gone.

Leon patted her shoulder and turned his attention to the hole int the wall. It wasn't an open window, but it was just as good as one. Leon stepped out onto the crumbling ledge, peering at the large insect hive.

"Ew. That's disgusting," Sheila said, startling the agent.

He looked down beside him, giving Sheila a glare. She ignored him and studied the hive. It was a large, slimy, brown mass that was connected to the ceiling. It reminded Sheila of a wasp nest, only larger, uglier, and more menacing. She shivered as a large glop of goo hit the floor.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Sheila said while clutching her stomach. She seen worse on this adventure, but there comes a time when a person has seen enough nasties. This is that time and place. Leon seemed to feel the same.

"What's disgusting and making you sick," Chris asked from behind.

His mouth opened wide in wonder when he saw the hive. It look eerily familiar to Alexia's hive.

"Guess that's the Novistars hive," Sheila stated.

Luis peeked over Sheila's shoulder, and corrected her. "Actually, it's Novistadors. How did you know-"

"Um. I heard one of the monks say that word when pointing at the bug who kidnapped me awhile back. I thought it was pronounced that way. My bad," Sheila lied.

Her conscious was really getting to her now. She hated lying! She was taught to never lie, that it was a sin and how it hurts other people and all that jazz. And now, here she was, lying through her teeth. Ugh! Of course, what was she going to say? The truth? Pfft! That would go over well... Not!

Luis believed her little white lie and said in low tones, "Listen. From what I heard before, you have faced these things before. Trust me when I say this, you do not want to invoke the wrath of the hive! They will quickly surround you and tear the lot of us to pieces. They're very protective of their hive, so be quiet and don't attract attention."

Leon nodded as the others were silent. It seemed that the further they went, the nastier the creatures were. So, as silently as possible, he jumped down. Then he turned and motioned for Sheila to jump down to him. She glanced at the hive and stiffened. She knew that no matter how quiet they were, they were still going to have to face the bug people. Refusing to think about it any longer, Sheila then jumped, closing her eyes. Leon caught her gracefully, holding her to his chest. The teenager sighed with relief and looked up into his warm, blue, eyes, then smiled.

Leon set her down gently and waited for the next one. Ashley jumped next, pouting that Claire had refused to help. The rest followed. Leon put a finger to his lips and stalked around till he reached the double doors. He gave Ashley and Sheila the opportunity to go back to the hall. Both refused. Leon sighed and took his TMP out of his case. Since losing his Riot gun, he had to make due with the TMP. It wasn't that bad, he did like the TMP. But nothing seemed to kill multiple bug freaks like the Riot gun.

They began to walk across what was left of the floor, trying not to look up. Sheila stuck close to Claire, clutching her Punisher. Her hands shook as she peered down below to the endless abyss. If she did get caught, will the bug let go of her?

"Wait. What's that noise," Leon asked quietly.

The sound of clicking and humming filled the air slightly. Sheila and Luis tensed, knowing the sound.

"We're caught! Run! Go," Luis shouted as he pointed his gun at the air, trying to find the invisible enemy.

Leon and Chris pointed their weapons up while Claire herded the girls to the other side. She flipped the switch, only to find that the bridge wouldn't come completely down.

"It's stuck," Claire shouted.

Ashley's scream filled the air as a Novistador lifted her with ease and flew off. The men cursed, not daring to shoot the creature for fear of killing the president's daughter.

"Leeeeoooooon!" Ashley wailed as the creature flew out of the hole, leaving them to a dangerous battle.

Leon cursed, pointing his gun at every direction. "Where are they?"

Luis began to back away, his foot near the edge. A Grey, scaled claw grabbed his foot and yanked, causing the scientist to fall.

"Luis," yelled Leon, who turned around to see the Spaniard fall.

Leon ran over, feeling relief when he saw Luis holding on to the edge.

"Leon, pull me up," Luis frantically cried out.

Leon bent down, but was caught off guard when a Novistador jumped on his back, scratching through the tactical shirt. Leon grunted in surprise and pain as he tried to pry it off, letting poor Luis hanging.

"Somebody, heeeelp," Luis screamed.

The bug who pulled him down was hanging upside down, under the floor, staring menacingly. It didn't bother with camouflage as it's two feelers touched Luis face. He sucked in some air as he tried to pull himself up. But each time he pulled, the creature would reach out and scratch him, drawing blood.

Chris began shooting as multiple Novistadors began to file out of the hive. They swarmed the ex-S.T.A.R.S. member, screeching as his Riot gun blew them away. He could hear Claire fire her Uzis, trying to help.

"Shoot the chains," yelled Chris as another insect tried to kick him. He jumped back, only to find yet another insect waiting for him_. _

_There toying with us_!

Meanwhile, Leon had stopped, dropped, and rolled, causing the surprised bug to loosen it's grip. His quick actions freed himself, allowing the agent to begin firing point blank at it's head. The creature screamed with agony as Leon emptied his gun. It shivered, then died, melting into a puddle of goo. Problem solved, Leon turned and grabbed Luis's collar, helping him up. Luis cried out in pain when the Novistador that was toying with him began swiping his stomach, his vest and white shirt red with blood.

As Leon helped Luis get to the door, Claire was busy defending her and Sheila. Seeing that Claire wouldn't have the chance of shooting those chains, the overzealous teen decided she would have to try. She raised her gun and aimed, her hands wobbling without her permission. The red, Lazar dot zig-zagged as her trembling hands became worse.

"Dang it!"

She began to fire, missing the first three times. Finally, she got a lucky shot, breaking one chain. The bridge lowered slightly.

"One down, one more to go," said the teen. She aimed again, this time firing repeatedly even when she was no where near it. It worked, for the bridge collapsed, causing Sheila to whoop for joy.

"Claire, get Sheila out of here," Chris shouted as he drop kicked another insect.

Claire nodded and holstered one gun. With her other hand, she grabbed Sheila's free hand and made a run for it. As they passed Chris, they heard Leon shout for Chris to move out of the way. The older man obeyed while the other two dashed for the door. Sheila heard gun shots, one of them sounding pretty powerful. She didn't have a chance to turn and check on the buys as Claire the door and pushed her through, then followed.

Both girls pressed their bodies to the heavy doors and listened. On the other side, the boys were shooting at the top of the hive. The idea was to destroy it by causeing the thing to fall, saving them from a messy death. The Novistadors did not appreciate the plan as they began to scream and swarm around the hive, trying to protect it. Leon fired his handgun while Chris fired his Riot gun. Luis had the most powerful of all. He still had the Broken Butterfly, and he was using it with a curse for each bug creep he took down.

The plan worked as the hive began to crumble, detaching from the ceiling. The roof began to break apart as the hive detached and began to pull away. Countless insects clung to the hive, refusing to leave it as it fell on to the floor, then roll off the make shift bridge into the darkness down below. Everything quieted down, leaving an eerie silence. Leon reloaded his gun and slowly stalked over to the middle of the broken floor. He peered over, and smiled when he saw only the blackness.

The two doors opened, and out stepped the two younger women.

"Is it over," Sheila asked. Chris and Luis walked over to Leon, peering down just as he did.

"Yeah, I think so," Chis answered.

Luis clutched his stomach and scowled. Leon noticed the blood stains and the ripped clothing.

"Luis, you alright?"

Luis sighed and shook his head. Leon's eyes flashed with worry.

Luis then replied, "No. Those idiotic insects ruined my favorite vest!"

Leon shook his head as he turned to go down the bridge to the other side where the girls were while Chris smirked.

"Actually, it was ruined before that."

Luis snorted as he replied, "No, I could have got the bloody hand print off with some bleach, but now I might as well throw it away."

Chris patted his shoulder and began to follow Leon. Their good mood didn't last long. Two insects flew out of the abyss, screeching as they dove and grabbed the two young women.

"Girls!" Leon shouted as he tried to get a shot. But it was hopeless, for he had no opening. The three men watched as Claire and Sheila were kidnapped... again.

**R**

"Hoooo boy! Hoooooooo boy! Please don't drop me, I really would like to stay whole and found and not a pancake," Sheila pleaded as the insect flew higher and higher.

The higher they went, the queasier she got. She always loved heights, but when you're being flown by a insect person hundreds of feet in the air, you get sick and a little freaked out. Plus having no support except around the belly was not that assuring. Sheila couldn't help but wander if these Novistadors communicated with each other. If they did, they may have heard of her little misadventures with their family members. Especially the part about her killing one of them.

"HEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

"Sheila, calm down!"

The teen turned her head and saw Claire, who looked just as scared as she was.

"We're going to be fine. The guys will come for us and kick these things butts!"

Sheila barely nodded, half believing what the older woman said. She knew that in the game, Leon came for Ashley and rescued her. So, if he did it then by himself, than surely he can do it with the two men's help.

Sheila remained quiet through the rest of the trip, not even offering a whimper. Claire remained silent also, hiding her fear. She knew that these bugs were bringing the scared teenager and Ashley to a specific place for a important reason. Most likely Salazar. But what would they want with her? Maybe the midget was ordered to infect her with the parasite also. Well, whatever the reason is, she was sure of one thing. She was going to blow away the bugs, Ganados, and Salazar when she sets her feet on solid ground.

**R**

"You lost the lasses... again."

The three men shifted, uncomfortable with the glare sent their way. But the merchant eased their guilty consciouses.

"Those Novistadors are a pain for sure. I can't tell ya how many times those bugs stole my jewels for the Butterfly lamps!"

From the looks the merchant was getting, he could tell that his rambling about those pests was not helping matters. So, he backed off and offered his services. After finishing up with their business, the three disheartened men set out to find the three young women who depended on them. Leon led the company, his blacktail full and ready for some violence.

A cold breeze was blowing, causing goose bumps to form on Luis's arms. His heart pounding as all three of them stopped, casting doubtful glances at the bridge. Bridges were not a favorite as far as Luis was concerned. In fact, he'd rather hitch a ride with one of those Novistadors.

Leon's walkie talkie beeped, startling the Spaniard. He glared at the object as Leon answered the call.

Salazar: _I wander if you can see me, Mr. Kennedy._

Leon: _If you even harm a hair on those girls heads, I'll break your bones!_

Salazar_: What? You mean you lost the other two muchachas? Heheheheheheheheheheheeeee! My, my, my! How the tables have turned. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that my Novistadors out witted you. But I did hope that you and your men would have put up a much bigger fight._

Leon's anger turned into rage as Salazar's words began to get to him. Maybe Sheila was right, he really did need to hang up on the midget.

Salazar_: Ah! I see them now, coming in for a landing. Well , it's been nice to have this little chat with you, but I really must go now. I have guests to entertain, you understand_.

Leon quickly holstered the radio and got out his binoculars. There, he watched as the insects dropped Claire and Sheila on the ground. From the glint in Claire's eyes, she was ticked off and ready for a fight. His eyes spied her reaching inside her bag, trying to get out her bow-gun. But Ramon's black cloaked body guard quickly knocked the weapon out of her grasp. His hands tightened their hold on the binoculars as he watched Claire try to punch the freakishly tall creature. The body guard merely caught her wrists and lifted her off the ground, turning it's head as if waiting for Salazar's command.

"Claire!" Leon turned his head to see Chris take out his sniper rifle. Leon began to follow suit.

**R**

"STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HER!"

Salazar turned his head and glared at the fuming red head. His yellow eyes held nothing but contempt and disgust for her. He still remembered the girl taunting him on his size with the big oaf American. If Lord Saddler hadn't made it clear that killing her was off limits, he would have executed her right there for the agent to see. So much for pleasure.

"Humph! Another stray to take care of. Both of you troublesome girls are lucky today. For the great Lord Saddler wants both of you alive. Be grateful for his mercy. Quickly, discard all her weapons at once! We must not doddle much longer. After all, we are on a tight sche- Ah!"

A bullet bounced off the red robed creature's armor plaited scales underneath the robe. Salazar turned an angry glare at the snipers, but the red robed one quickly stood between his master and the Americans. Although Ramon would not die from a mere gunshot wound, he knew that his master could not stand being in pain. More shots were fired, each bouncing off the creatures. The gun fire stopped, causing Salazar to peep his head out from behind the body guard.

Suddenly, a bullet whizzed and popped Ramon's hat off. The Castle Castellan mouth dropped open. Nobody has ever dared to assassinate him in this manner. It was an outrage! But most of all, they put a bullet hole through his precious hat!

"You American pigs! How dare you- AAH!"

Salazar put a pale hand on his cheek where a bullet scraped his and damaged the tender flesh. His cheek was wet. He slowly brought his hand before his eyes, seeing his blood coating his fingers. The body guard in black dropped Claire, roaring with anger as it lifted both hands in the air. Claire quickly made a dive for her bow-gun, but she was no match for the angry Ramon Salazar. It surprised her how fast he really was, although that was the effects of the parasite in some of the Ganados she's faced.

He held the bow-gun tightly, a snarl lighting up his features. In his other hand, he held his communicator. Leon's face appeared on the screen.

Salazar_: Do you see this ? I will blow her insignificant head off if you try that stunt again! _

Leon's face flickered with fear.

Leon: _My friend has you in his sights as we speak. He could blow your head off as well. Do you think your body guards are fast enough to stop a bullet?_

Salazar grinned and replied.

Salazar: _Maybe not, but a rifle will only cause pain; not kill me. Head, or no head. Besides, if he shoots me, my finger can accidentally slip. Is your bullet faster than my finger?_

The screen on his communicator went black, pleasing the young man. He lowered the weapon and gave Claire an evil grin.

"I guess your knights in shining armor are smarter than they appear. Guards, dispose of her weaponry."

Sheila watched with despair as Claire's bag and bow-gun was tossed over the bridge. So much for a way out.

"Come! Bring the girls, we have to get ready."

Claire felt two claws on her shoulder, urging her forward. She bit her lip as she began to follow the small form of Ramon Salazar, evil Castellan of the castle.

**R**

Chris cursed as they watched Sheila, Claire, and Ashley be led away to God knows where.

"Let's go," Leon said quietly.

Chris didn't move, his hands still clutching his Sniper rifle. He felt Luis put a hand on his broad shoulder, his voice doing little comfort. But he knew they were right, the only way of saving the girls was to move on.

While Chris showed his contempt for this place on the outside, Leon kept it on the inside. His face emotionless while his body was tense and alert. He had to keep the rage in check, and save it when he faces Ramon. Until then, he will kill everything that gets in his way. Starting with the men operating the catapults right now. OH CRAP!

"RUN!"

**R**

All was silent as the three women followed Salazar, his body guards at the back to keep the line going. Claire clenched her teeth when hearing the monks sucking up to the little evil man. It sickened her to hear his praises_. _

_"For a devout follower of Saddler, he sure does encourage the praise for himself_!" Claire thought with disgust.

As they walked up the stairs, Claire turned her attention to a more favorable topic, the decoration of the room. She noticed how well furbished the room was. It almost reminded her of a throne room, well almost. The red carpet matched the blues and wine color on the banners, the floor shined with daily cleaning, the golden bells glittered mischievously from the candles glow. Wait a minute, what is bells... Claire began to breath really hard, remembering the bells down in the dungeon. Which meant...

"Tighten the chains on those brutes! I don't want my guests to lose their heads so soon," Salazar ordered with smile in his voice.

Claire balled her hands into fists at the tone of his voice. But her anger slipped away when she saw them. Two Ganadors stood by the entrance. Their heavy breathing filled the air, causing the hair on Claire's neck to prickle. Her side and cuts that the last one delivered began to ache with the memory.

Sheila was doing no better. Since she was directly behind Ramon, she was the one closest to the creatures out of the three women. She began to squirm and wiggle like a worm who was about to be the bird's lunch. This attracted the wrong attention from the Ganadors who heard the commotion. They strained against the chains, growling loudly. Ashley let out a scream, which was the undoing for the chains. Both broke free and attacked Sheila. The teen could do nothing.

She closed her eyes and prepared to wake up at the pearly gates, but to her relief that was not so. Salazar stopped and pushed both of the much larger beings back with a mighty heave. Their large armored bulks slammed against the walls, causing cracks to form where they impacted. Sheila stared at the tiny man in front of her with awe and a tad bit of fear. Okay, allot of fear.

"You... You are one strong little dude!"

Salazar said nothing, instead he wiped his hands on one of the body guards robes as if he touched the scum of the earth.

"Get them up and reinforce those chains. I don't want another incident... Do you understand?"

The Ganados agreed and began carrying out Ramon's orders.

As they walked by, Sheila stuck her tongue out at the two Ganadors. It was easy being brave when the big bad is being chained up.

"Watch your step, girly. I don't want to have to save your useless American hide... again."

Sheila snorted at his arrogance, but did not reply. Her parents didn't raise no fool. When you are facing an abnormally strong freak, don't pester it when he's right there. Wait till he's ten miles away, then be a smart mouth.

Silence reigned as the group tracked on. As far as the Castellan was concerned, it was a perfect atmosphere. No idle chatter, no whining from the Americans. Yes indeed, it was perfect. Maybe these women learned who was in charge. But as he anticipated, the red haired one couldn't keep quiet for too long.

Sheila, who was bored, decided to hum the Godfather tune. Reason? If you played the game, you should know that this room held Salazar's throne and what not.. You got flickering candle lights, the torches flames made everything seem evil. So the theme to her seemed like a great way of turning this humerus. Why? Sheila has a sick sense of humor.

Salazar's tiny hands balled into fists as they walked. When Sheila got louder as they passed at the statue's feet, Ramon decided to shut her up.

"If I was you, I would be silent as a woman should."

Sheila stared down at the emotionless face of the Castellan's. Was he for real?

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Your idiotic humming is annoying to say the least.."

"Pfft! You wouldn't know a great tune if it fell and wiggled on your old man face. And what is it with the throne? Does your Great Lord Saddler know that his lackey has a throne made just for him?"

Ramon took one step closer, his yellow eyes starting to shine. Sheila's chest began to burn intensely, bringing the teen to her knees. Claire tried to run up to the hurting girl, but a large clawed hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from moving.

"Please stop! You're hurting her!" Claire repeated Sheila's words from earlier.

"That's the idea," Ramon replied with a twisted smile.

His eyes stopped glowing as he took a step back. Sheila collapsed fully with relief, tears streaming down her face.

"You see my dear, your queen parasite is still young, so I can still manipulate her to cause you pain. Remember that when you decide to open your mouth again."

With everything said and done, the Castellan turned around and surveyed his domain. The red robed body guard grabbed the still form of Sheila and hauled her up over it's shoulder. She didn't argue, instead she hung there limply, the spasms taking the fight out of her. It worried the women a bit to see her like this, but they didn't dare say a word. While Ashley kept silent for fear of the same treatment, Claire was busy plotting to cause Ramon some much deserved pain.

**R**

The three men didn't dare move, for across from them up the stair case was two more Ganadors, their chains thick and keeping them guarding the only way out of the room. They stood by an barred doorway, each breathing heavily. One was much better suited in Gladiator armor, it's helmet covering it's face while the chest armor covered it's entire front. Hopefully the back was exposed. The second one wasn't so heavily armored, but it did seem to have allot of brown leather along it's metal armor. This wasn't going to be easy.

Down the steps stood two bare chested Ganados, painted with purple, red and black in some sort of cerimonial way. They stood perfectly still, as if waiting for them to make the first move. Chris fingered his Riot gun, knowing that to use it now would put their lives in danger. Luis, who was on Chris's left, only stood still and stared with wide eyes at the clawed Ganadors. Leon, who was on the left, was coming up with a crazy plan. But either way, they were screwed.

Leon knelt down and took off his case. Chris looked down to see what the agent was doing. His eyes widened when he saw Leon pull out the rocket launcher that he found earlier in a glass case. WAS HE INSANE?

Leon closed the case and pushed it aside. He wouldn't need it right now. Then very quietly and cautiously, he pushed Chris aside so he could be in the middle. Both men tried to signal him to stop, but Leon wasn't listening. So the men braced themselves two feet away to the left, hoping that this was worth it. They watched as the determined agent aimed at the two Ganados, who in turn widened their eyes in shock. They didn't move, but they did start to sweat.

Leon grinned as he raised his aim higher. Chris gripped his Riot gun when he realized that the Ganados weren't what Leon was aiming at. He mouthed the words "Oh crap." to Luis. Luis nodded as he took more steps back. This was getting uglier by the minute. The monks looked confused when they saw the American agent lift his aim higher. Leon waited for the right moment. When both Ganadors looked straight ahead, Leon fired the launcher.

They first heard the sounds of growling and the sliding sound of claws being extended. Then a loud explosion filled the air along with debris. The two Ganados fell flat on their faces from the explosion while the two Ganadors flung through the air in different directions. smoke and dust filled Leon's vision.

"Did I get them?"

The sound of one angry snarl gave him his answer. He killed one Ganador, but only stunned the other one.

And here he came, the heavily armored gladiator bull rushing down the stairs and trampling the two stunned Ganados. His claws were raised high as he descended down on the agent. Leon jumped out of the way, leaving the Ganador to stick one claw in the door. Chris didn't waste time as he fired a round into it's puss pocket on its back. This angered the gladiator enough to get his clawed hand free. He sliced across the air, narrowly missing Chris head.

Chris back flipped and tried to run but everywhere he ran the freak with the claws was there, ready to slice and dice him up. Luis and Leon tried to help, but six more Ganados appeared and attacked the men, making things much more complicated.

"Chris! Stop ru- Aaaah!" Luis did get to finish when the next thing he new the Ganador charged him. But it did help when he moved, the monk behind him lost a head.

The monks swung their blades and other weapons at the three men. Each time someone would make a noise, the Ganador was there to greet them. It seemed to distinguish the different sounds from the Ganado monks and the three humans, always hunting the three guys while leaving the cult members alone. The tension was thick and heavy, causing great amount of stress on the three amigos.

Finally, with great amount of patience and some use of their knives, the three managed to kill the monks and get up the stairs where the first bell awaited them. Leon didn't waste time as he hit the bell with his knife. He quickly backtracked as the creature ran towards the noise. As it demolished the golden bell, the men were busy defending against three new Ganados that appeared, all clothed in purple. Two had the gold plated helmets so it was much harder killing them.

The sound of the Ganador finishing with his task alerted the three men. Chris, who grew impatient with the whole situation decided to drop kick one helmet protected monk. The Ganado fell back and bumped into the gladiator. The Ganador whipped around and speared the monk, lifting him high in the air. Red, brown and yellow blood poured out from the man's chest, spraying it across the other Ganados.

The monks scattered, leaving their comrade to his fate. This gave the men more of a chance to survive. Chris shot at the second bell further up, which again distracted the Ganador. He dropped the monk who turned to goo on the floor, and ran up the remaining steps to destroy the sound maker. Chris and Leon ran up to the creature and began to stab shooting. The puss pocket exploded, leaving a nasty mess on the two gentlemen.

Luis was busy using his Rednine to eliminate the remaining Monks. They fell easily to the satisfaction of the suave Spaniard and to the others. And to make things even better, the bars lifted to allow the three access out of there. Of course they had no idea that they were going to have to deal with Verdugo. But as you know, that's the Resident Evil 4 world. Ha! Ha! Haaaa!

**R**

Sheila sighed for the tenth time since they entered the small throne room of Salazar. While he sat in a comfortable throne chair, the three girls were in a much more uncomfortable position. Ashley had the black robed one guarding her with a mean looking blade while Claire had the red robed dumb-dumb to keep her still. Both were on their knees and had their hands tied behind their backs. The blades scraped their sensitive necks while the rope itched and cut somewhat into their skin.

Sheila, well, she was in a weird predicament. There was a rope tied around her neck which led to Salazar. It looked as if she was a dog on a leash, which was humiliating to the teen. Her hands were tied in front of her with the same itchy rope, but thankfully her feet were free_. _

_Ramon, you are so going to die! And when you do, I'm going to do the happy dance_!

The silence was uncomfortable. In fact, it was down right awkward. And if there is one thing that any human being can't stand, it's the uncomfortable silences. So, guess who decided to sing? Yup, you guessed it! Sheila, the professional little sister pest! She had years of experience in pestering the siblings in her life. Time to bring those honed in skills to the test.

"He said to her he would like a cheese burrrgerrr. He said he would like a miiilkshake as weeell. She said to him I can't give you eiiiitherrr! He then asked, 'Isn't thiiiis Burger Beeeell?' She said yes it is but we're clooosed noooow. But we open tomorrow at teeeen! He'd said he was extremely huungryyyyyy! But he guess he could wait until theeeeeeeeeeeen," Sheila sang in a badly Spanish accent.

The looks she got didn't detour her though. She continued with her irritating song.

"Because your his cheeseburrrrger! His yummy cheeseburrrgerrr! He'll wait for yo-ou yeeah! He'll wait for yo-ou! Ooh! Because you're his cheeseburrrgerrr! His tasty cheeseburrgerrr! He'll wait for yo-oooou! He will wait fooor yoooooooou!"

Salazar and the other occupants in the room gave silent sighs of relief, thinking that that was the end of it. But their torment wasn't going to end just yet.

"He waited at the drivethrough till sunriiiiise. He may have dozed off once or twice. He then spotted a buildboard for Deeeeny's! Bacon and eggs for half price! Hoooow could he resist such an ooofferrrr! He really needed somethen' tooo muuunch! Cheeseburger please do not be aaangryyyy! Heee'll eat and be back here for luuuuuuuuuuuuunch! Because you're his cheeseburgerrrr! His-"

"SHUT-UP!"

All eyes turned to the red faced Salazar. Sheila smirked. Looks like he could get some color in his pasty face after all.

"What's the matter? Don't you like my song?"

Ramon closed his eyes and tried to get his emotions under control. Maybe it was her badly attempted Spanish accent.

"Girlie, that song was... was... just irritating! Besides, there's nothing like White and Nerdy."

"White and... what?"

Salazar seemed to suddenly brightened as he began explaining the song.

"You mean you never heard of Al Weird? My, my! And to think you call yourself an American!"

"I know who Al Weird is, ya midget!"

Salazar ignored her comment and continued, "Well, he wrote that inspiring song! It has everything. Rapping, rhythm, words that take your breath away."

Sheila shook her head.

"First of all, I know about all the songs he has written thus far, and White and Nerdy isn't one of them."

Salazar's face turned bright red with anger as he slowly stood up. Suddenly, he yanked hard on her leash, causing the teen to fall flat on her face, busting her top lip.

As Sheila spat out blood, Claire was yelling at the smug Castellan. He ignored her and began pulling on the rope.

"Get up, you swine! I'm not in the mood for you to grovel. Heheheheheheheheeeee!"

Sheila slowly got back to her knees and gave Salazar the death glare. He laughed at this.

"You didn't have to - ow! My lip! That hurts!"

Tears threatened to fall from the young girls eyes, but she didn't allow them to do so. She rather face a hundred Regenerators than cry in front of this tiny bully!

"Please, give her an herb," Claire cried out.

Salazar sneered at this, but decided to be gracious enough to do that. It wouldn't do to have the girl looking like that when meeting Lord Saddler. That would only earn more disapproval from his beloved Master. He ordered some monks in Spanish to treat her wound.

Sheila watched with trepidation as two red robed monks stalked over to her. But her fears were eased when she saw that they were going to treat her.

_Guess Claire's pleas reached him. Still, I wouldn't mind if God would strike the bugger dead! I know, I know, love my enemy. I do, Lord, I do. But he isn't real... OW!_

"Ow! Watch it!"

Sheila grimaced as one held her head firmly while the other one sprinkled the green herb on her swelling lip. It burned where the medicine rested, causing another wave of tears to fill her eyes. The two men chuckled at her distress, causing the red head to boil with anger. An emotion she couldn't express physically thanks to her helplessness at the moment.

"Now, I have some questions for you, my dear. Who exactly are you and that mysterious man," Salazar turned his head and asked Claire.

Claire refused to answer. Ramon smirked at this, and shook his head.

"I see that you have a very stubborn will. Well, no matter. We will get the information one way or another. I just hoped you would have made it easier on yourself and volunteer the answers, but now we will have to do it the hard way."

"Bring it on, Salazar."

"Ho! Ho! We have a lively one! So much hostility and anger. Soon, we'll put that energy into good use when you are given the same gift we gave the other three."

Claire's face paled at the mention of what was to come.

**R**

"Okay, here goes nothing."

Leon opened the double doors, his body tense for another fight. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the women. Claire and Ashley had weapons pointed at their throats, both were on their knees. Sheila was on the other side, her top lip had a nasty cut where it looked like someone had punched her. A rope was tied around her neck in which led to Salazar, who was clutching the other end of the rope. He suddenly knew who was the cause of Sheila's hurt lip.

"Guys! Your alright," Claire said with relief. Hope filled her heart at the sight of her brother, Leon and Luis. She just knew that they would rescue them.

"You alright?" Chris asked with eyes filled with worry.

"Well, well, well. This is a lively reunion. Please, gentlemen, step further in. I've been expecting you three."

"Salazar! What did you do to her?" Leon growled as he walked further in, pointing at Sheila.

"Oh, we just had a disagreement. Don't worry, we put some medicine on the wound. I really don't want Lord Saddler seeing her like that."

Salazar slowly put his hand over the red button. Sheila's heart leaped into her throat.

"Why you little-"

"Gentlemen, don't you know when it's time to throw in the towel?"

"Step back!"

But Sheila's warning was to late. The three men disappeared, falling to their death. Sheila barely heard Claire's screaming no, for it seemed that her world was tipped over yet again. Tears filled her eyes. Leon would survive, but not the others.

"Not today," Leon mumbled as he released his hook. It caught on a brick, the steel cable stopped him from falling to his death. He turned his head, fear gnawing at him. His friends, they were-

"If you let me go, I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable life, Redfield," Luis growled.

Leon closed his eyes in relief. He forgot that Chris had his grappling gun.

"Yeah? You're.. not the one.. who's got to hold on.. to a grown man!"

Meanwhile, Salazar was trying to hear the sounds of his enemies death.

"Hmmm. Where's the satisfying sound of ones impalement?"

Chris looked up to see Leon pull out his blacktail. Chris grinned.

"Don't fall for this old trick." Leon mumbled with a smirk.

**BANG! **

"Aaaaah! How dare you!" Salazar hopped up, seething with anger and pain_. _

_His ear must be ringing. HAA HAAA! That's what you get for being a bully_!

Sheila grinned from ear to ear at Salazar's distress and knowing that all three survived.

"No more games! Kill him! KILL ALL OF THEM!"

Salazar jumped up and down to show his point. The red robed Verdugo walked towards the hole. Sheila gulped as the red robed body guard took off his robe. He was huge! His tail whipped back and forth as the creature turned it's head. His eyes flashed red at the teen, his manacles clicking.

"Wow, you look like a predator/alien. Man, you are one ugly Mama Gama!"

The creature ignored her and looked down.

"Make sure to make them suffer before you kill them! Now quickly, we must prepare for the ritual!"

"Guys! The freak is sending a big bug creature! Watch out!" Claire shouted.

The black robed monster pushed the woman extra hard, causing her to lose her balance for a second. She regained her balance and gave Sheila an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry. Those three will handle Frankenstein with no problems."

"Yeah, I guess." The girl winced as her top lip stung with protest from talking. She really did hope they would. In this world, things were unpredictable.

As Sheila and the other two were led out of the room, the last thing they saw was the creature cracking it's claws and rolling it's neck like a boxer getting ready to fight. Then it let out a scream before descending down the long tunnel.

**Authors Note: And there you have it! Sorry it took a little longer than expected, but I was sick with the flu and I had laryngitis or whatever. Then I had to erase some of it due to it being later that certain bad guys were faced. Hope that satisfied your taste buds for now. Remember, review please. **

**Oh! I almost forgot! I've got a pole for y'all! It's about Luis so please check it out on my prophile page. Basically it asks if Luis should die or not in up coming adventures. If you haven't guessed already, things seem to start happening to Luis. Almost like death is after him.. Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Please go to my prophile pge and vote!**

**UPDATE: POLL IS DONE. READ ON TO FIND OUT IF HE LIVES OR NOT. **


	31. Chapter 30:Face Thy Enemy

**Authors Note: And here we are again. More adventure, action, and freaky moments in my tale of mayhem and... horror. Anyways, thanks for reviewing and voting! The poll is still up, so if you want to vote just go to my profile page. Thanks again for your reviews and critiquing this fic! And thanks to Brittanee for the helpful tip! **

**I'd also like to acknowledge Jammer69er for being my 100th reviewer! Yay! Your prize is a virtual cookie with a year supply of turtle wax! In virtual reality! Okay, minus the turtle wax. I'd like to thank everyone who helped made that possible! **

**And one more thing. In the last chapter there was a part where the characters are in the temple part. I didn't realize I had left that in there. So, I changed it where they're in Salazar's throne room. The duologue is mostly the same so no major changes! I just had to correct it. Okay, now you may read to your heart's content!**

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 30: Face Thy Enemy**

It was dark and damp in the dungeon cave like area. There was natural sharp formations on the ground, apparently Salazar has pulled the same trick on other people. Namely monks.

"So this is what happens to the thieves and rebellious Ganados."

Chris flashed his flash light on Luis's tanned face. "What do you mean?"

Luis put his hand in front of his eyes to try to keep the bright annoying light out of his eyes. This man was extremely irritating!

"During my time of experimenting here and at another place, monks and some of the working staff would disappear from time to time," he replied as he turned his head and glimpsed at one particular monk, impaled on one of the sharp formations. A spike if it suits you better. Either way, it looked like it was an agonizing death. The pale face of the Ganado was in a permanent fixture of pain, horror, and agony. Luis shivered.

"From what I learned and observed, when a person is infected with the parasite, the creatures contain some of the aspects of the hosts humanity. There are even those who manage to be able to live free of the influence of the parasite, and continue their lives without becoming just another Ganado. Usually, these individuals pretend to be under the influence of the parasite so they could steal some of Ramon's treasure. Then, they disappear. I guess I always believed they got away some how. Wishful thinking on my part."

That little bit of info did not make them feel any more or less safe as they stood among death.

"Let's get out of here. You guys heard Claire, we got another freak on our trail."

Chris and Luis didn't argue with Leon. Somehow, this deadly place felt like a graveyard. So speaking felt like a sin in a way. Plus the smell was gagging! The bodies of monks were not all fresh, some were rotting and bloated. Their corpses was stinking up the place, much like Raccoon City. Hopefully, none of you readers will have to suffer that rotting body smell. If you have, my hats off to you brave folk.

Leon's radio began to beep, halting the group.

"Are you going to answer that," Chris asked.

Leon hesitated, but then decided to get the inevitable over with.

Salazar: _So maybe you and those pests have nine lives. But it doesn't matter now ! I've-_

Click.

Chris and Luis gawked at the agent, who just hung up on the Castellan. He looked up at the two, his eyes perfectly serene.

"Just thought I take the red head's advice and not waste time on the pip squeak."

The radio began beeping again, causing Leon to scowl at the offending equipment. He wasn't surprised, but it would be dangerous to walk around and let the enemies know of his presence due to the offended younger man.

"Are you-" Luis started to say.

"No. Let's just go."

But the beeping didn't stop, annoying the other two men. Although it was sort of amusing. It reminded Luis of an ex-girlfriend who endlessly called him on his cell all the time.

Leon finally gave in, though it wasn't out of annoyance or irritation. It was so he could see what rise he would get out of the young Castellan. He wasn't disappointed.

Salazar: _How dare you! Do you realize I-_

Click.

The radio immediately began to beep yet again. Leon was now grinning as he answered.

Leon: _Leon here._

Salazar: _Nobody hangs up on me! Nobody! Next time you-_

Leon: _You bore me Ramon. Just spit it out._

Salazar: _... I just wanted you to know that I've sent my right hand to dispose of you and your pathetic partners._

Leon: _Your right hand comes off?_

Salazar: _Humph. Say whatever you please you ignorant American. DIE YOU WORM!_

Leon smirked at the outburst. The little guys face had actually turned red before he hit the screen. Leon now saw the satisfaction of annoying the bad guy. No wander Chris and Sheila liked to taunt and tease all that is evil. Smiling, he put the radio back and began walking with his partners, ready to get out of the dark cave.

A light beyond the tall rock formations was like a beacon in this underground chamber. As you know, it was the merchant's blue torch shining brightly, casting a blue eerie but comforting glow on the helping seller of lethal goods.

"Welcome to the under world!"

The three were not amused at all. The merchant shifted his feet and swallowed. "Er... So, what do ya be needing?"

"Well, for starters, another Riot gun would be nice," said Leon, his blue eyes staring intently on the merchant. The merchant smiled, though the others could not see it.

"Why, I don't have another one of those... But, I do have some new weaponry that will make up for it, stranger. Heh! Heh!"

The merchant quickly took off his heavy pack and began unloading the mentioned weapons. They were weapons he wasn't sure he had ever seen before. The merchant began tutoring on the new stock of things that go BOOM!

"This, stranger, is a special gun I especially created for blowing away your enemies. I call it the Striker. Yes, it does look like one of those old machine guns from those American gangster movies. But it isn't, I assure ye. It is a shotgun, built for holding much larger portions of ammo."

Leon leaned in, his eyes glazed with wonder. The merchant grinned, knowing he had his full attention.

"If you keep upgrading this baby, you'll have a stronger shotgun then the Riot gun!"

"Now wait just a minute! There is no way that fat, smaller thing is stronger than my Riot gun!"

The merchant squinted his eyes and pointed the gun at Chris.

"You didn't let me finish Zombie-Killer."

Chris shifted nervously and gave a sheepish grin. The merchant cleared his throat and continued, casting a glance at Chris.

"As I was saying, it can be stronger than your old Riot gun. But, that is at close range. The Riot Gun has it beat at longer distances. Plus the Riot gun is lighter weight than this weapon. But, it can come in handy when you are in a situation of being surrounded by countless Ganados. It would be dangerous when your friend is trying reload his Riot gun and you have no shotgun to cover him or yourself. Plus, when you shoot, the blast is a wider range."

Leon contemplated the merchant's advice. With Chris having the Riot gun, they wouldn't have to worry about longer ranged enemies. And if he buys this baby, well, needless to say that a long range and short range shotguns will be a perfect duo.

"I'll buy it!"

The merchant grinned and named his price. Yes, it was expensive, and upgrading it will cost a bundle, but down the line they would thank him.

"Would you like it upgraded, stranger? I've got the first parts for one tune up, for the moment."

Leon sighed as he forked over some more pesetas to the happy merchant. If he wasn't in dire need of a shotgun, he wouldn't have bothered.

"Why didn't you upgrade it to full capacity?" Leon asked.

"I just finished building the thing a little bit ago. Took years of testing out different blue prints, all unsuccessful. Had one guy try out an older model of it and his hands were... Uhh. Don't worry, I think I worked out all the kinks."

That was not very reassuring. "And the other weapon?"

The merchant chuckled as he brought out his other big boom gun.

"This, my friends, is the Mine Thrower! You'll have to have a lot of guts to use this weapon! It's almost like a grenade launcher, except it shoots out mines. These mines detonate after a few seconds. Blows a great size hole in your enemies bodies. Great for long range distance shooting. But word of caution, ya don't want to be around for the detonation. Now, it's explosion isn't gigantic, but it will do some damage in the crowds."

Leon looked unsure while Chris wasn't all that interested. Luis was more receptive.

"If you guys don't mind, I would like to buy it and all the ammo you have."

Leon and Chris were a bit shocked. Luis never shown interest in any of the merchants merchandise other than his gun and grenades.

"Ummm. Sure, go ahead. I don't have enough room in my attach case anyway," said Leon.

Chris merely shrugged, giving the answer that Luis hoped to here.

"Well, Senior Serra. Nice to finally service ya something other then herbs and first aid kits. But before you leave, would you like the scope to go with your weapon?"

Luis grinned and eagerly nodded. The merchant pulled out an small attachment case and put the weapon and the ammo inside. After telling him the price, Luis payed without hesitating.

"Strange. This weapon and case together is cheaper than Leon's Striker," Luis commented as he took the attachment case and strapped it on.

"I'm giving you the case as a free gift. The price is for the weapon."

"Still cheaper."

Chris shifted and began to pace. As the other two reloaded on handgun ammo and an upgrade for Luis's new weapon, Chris noticed something glittering just out of the torches light. He slowly walked over, cautious of what was there. He grimaced as he came upon the dead body of yet another monk. He wasn't fresh, that was for sure. He was way past the bloating stage from the look of his decaying body. His skin now was withering away, revealing his bones and other unpleasant things.

Chris covered his mouth as the smell surrounded his senses. It was putrid, absolutely disgusting! He began to back away when his eyes caught sight of the glittering object. He slowly bent down and took the object from the rotting fingers of the corpse, which was sitting up as if in a resting pose. He quickly backed away and washed the dirt and smudge off the round object in a puddle of water. He then stepped into the light to see if his eyes and hands were deceiving him.

His eyes became wide as the light bounced off the crown. From the looks of things, it was solid gold, and the jewel on it was real. No way was he going to sell this thing for cheap to the merchant! He was going to wait to get home and-

"Hey. Looks like you found Salazar's family crown."

Chris jumped at the sound of Luis's voice right next to him.

"Jeez, Luis! Give a guy a heart attack!"

"Sorry."

Chris snorted. Yeah, from that mischievous grin that Luis was giving him; he could tell he wasn't sorry!

"Looks like the crown is missing some pieces," Leon commented.

Chris nodded as he studied the crown. Too bad, that will knock off the value quite a bit.

"Yeah, the red robed Verdugo has one piece. As for the center piece, well, nobody knows where that part is."

"I'd give ya ten thousand for it," the merchant said eagerly.

"Hell no! It's worth more than that."

The merchant grumbled at Chris as he began to pack. Chris ignored him while storing it in his case.

"So, you say a Ver.. uuh... The red robed Ver-something has the other piece?"

Luis nodded as he began to walk over to the metal ladder by the merchant.

"It's pronounced Verdugo. You remember Salazar's tall bodyguards?"

The other two nodded as they got in line to climb.

"Well, that's what we call the Verdugo. They were once men and personal trusted associates of Ramon's. They offered up their lives to Saddler after watching their master fall for Saddler's lies. It took time for them to do that, but their loyalty to Ramon was so strong that they finally gave in. So, after-"

"Let me guess. Saddler had some DNA's mixed and matched with the parasite and wham-mo! Instant freak," Chris said with a bored stare.

"Pretty much."

"Guess that's what will be after us, from what Claire briefly described. Can we please go?"

Luis heard the worry in Leon's voice, which was what the Spaniard needed. He didn't have to tell them that these creatures were extremely dangerous. Not only were they the perfect killers, they were also extremists. They were willing to go as far as killing themselves for Ramon Salazar. Which meant they will keep hunting the three men till they were dead. Yeah, time to go.

**R**

Verdugo quietly jumped to the tallest spike. Gut the sharpness of the rock didn't even put a dent in it's foot. The armor plating of it's rough reptile/bug skin kept him safe from any sharp or harmful object. So far, none that tried has put up much of a fight against one such as himself.

The creature kept still. His manacles clicked, as if waiting for something. Then, very slowly, it crawled down the large rock formation. Bodies littered the ground. This caused the creature to let out a short hiss.

The bodies were of all the traitors of his Master, Ramon. They deserved the painful death they got. Not one of them deserved to live after denying the gift that was implanted in them.

He them whipped his tail and crept forward, careful to stay out of the blue light. Verdugo saw the local merchant, packing up his weaponry and supplies. He stood up to his full height, glaring at the little sneak. Yes. He was the one who was selling the weaponry to the enemy. Normally, he would quickly attack and tear this little traitor apart, but not tonight. He was on a mission to kill the three men. One a traitor, while the other two were intruders who made sure that Lord Saddlers plans did not go smoothly. Tonight was this merchant's lucky night.

"I know you're there. Your clicking and clacking is a bit distracting."

The creature relaxed a bit, but only just a hair. This one was very unpredictable. It was always hard to read him.

"Go on. Go do your master's bidding... But I have to warn ye, you'll never come out alive."

The creature growled, though it wasn't an angry one. He had full confidence in his capability's in disposing mere men. He then walked forward into the blue light, towering over the merchant. The creature was easily seven feet tall, give or take an inch. Needless to say he was not one to easily dismiss like that.

"Your fear tactics won't work with me. It never has, Adan," the merchant said without taking his eyes off the monster's red glowing ones. The creature began clicking, which I guess is it's way of laughing. It then turned and looked up the metal staircase. When he was done with the humans, he will come back and deal with this pest once and for all.

The creature let out a screech as it bent down to jump. Then, in lightning like reflexes, it jumped and began running up the ladder. The merchant merely finished packing his things, perfectly calm.

"Farewell Adan... You don't stand a chance against all three of those men. They got too much at stake to die."

(If any of you want to know, Adan is the Spanish version of Adam. I don't have any Spanish accents to put over the letter to show you, but that's okay I guess. Anyways, thought you should know if any of you think that I made that name up.)

**R**

The rooms that the women walked through were quite breath taking. Apparently, Salazar couldn't bare to let these rooms decay due to acknowledging the older ancestors who lived before the time of the parasite. He firmly believed that they would have received the so called 'gift' with open arms. Well, that was the theory. Claire personally believed that some part of his evil heart clung to what was left of the human inside him.

As the group stepped through yet another set of doors, Claire couldn't help but notice how the tension from Salazar's conversation with Leon earlier was now gone. He seemed more relaxed as he pointed out certain antique pieces and furniture. He would occasionally tell a little tale of what happened in certain rooms during his ancestors time. Some were witty while others were action filled. It made Claire realize just how passionate and charismatic Ramon could be. He probably was once a very charming young man. Now, he was just a shadow of what he once was.

Claire then looked at Sheila who was sticking closely to her side. Her top lip wasn't as swollen, in fact it now was almost normal size. The green herb made her top lip look as if she put on green lipstick only half way. It was cute, but she didn't tell Sheila that. She could be a little self conscious of how people would call her a cute fifteen year old when in fact, she was eighteen.

She then turned her head to her left side and looked over the President's daughter. She kept nibbling her bottom lip and occasionally whimper. Claire could see that she was trying to appear fearless, but it clearly showed she was anything but that. She didn't blame her, she was very fearful herself of what was to come.

_God, please, send someone. I can't do this one by myself_.

Claire didn't know that her answer was already keeping a close eye on her and the girls. Though this person was someone you didn't know if you can trust with, oh, let's say a sample. She clearly already has shown that she couldn't let an innocent die. It didn't suit her purpose in attaining the sample. At least, that's what she keeps telling herself.

The lady in red, ladies and gentlemen... Need I say more?

**R**

The men walked in silence as they walked through the running water. At least they imagined it was that, the color said other wise. They tensed at every noise, stopped at every imagined sound, waiting for whatever that was tracking them to show itself. The tense atmosphere seemed to thicken with every step they took. And the creepy prickling sensation at the back of their necks just didn't go away. The feeling of being hunted was so strong that when one would try to speak, the only sound that came out was a whoosh of air. Which is why everyone gave up on talking altogether.

But this was not easy for Luis. He wanted to urge them to run from what Salazar has unleashed. But the fear of what would happen if he should speak was too great to overcome. Instinct made him keep wisely quiet.

A rat ran out in front of the oldest man, Chris. He let out a not so manly squeal and pointed the riot gun at the poor rat, who now was frozen in fear itself. This broke the tense silence for a moment as Leon began to chuckle.

"Easy there Chris. It may attack if you move."

Chris tried to give the younger man a dirty look, but he couldn't due to seeing the humor in the situation. Luis didn't find anything funny about it as he clearly let them know.

"There's no time for this. We have to hurry!"

At that moment, the sound of a growl a little ways behind them caused the three men to freeze like the rat did. Luis swallowed before looking at Chris and Leon, his eyes showing his urgency.

"Start moving."

The two nodded and began trotting, which soon turned to jogging. The three didn't want to alert the predator of their retreat, yet they didn't want to go to slow. At any rate, they soon reached the door, quickly opening it and leaving the tunnel.

Meanwhile, the creature cocked it's head as it prepared to up the fear factor in his game. Slowly crouching, he prepared his thin but powerful legs to jump. His eye sight seeing every detail in the tunnel, despite the dim lighting. That was thanks to his insect vision that the parasite mutated during his progress of changing. Thus giving him a perfect advantage normal humans didn't have.

He suddenly sprung forward at full speed, becoming a blur of power and swiftness. What took minutes for the three men took mere seconds for the Verdugo creature. He reached the door and quickly entered, not caring that he slammed the door shut, alerting his prey. Truth be told, he was getting bored with the stalking and quiet movements. Verdugo wanted the chase to begin so he could tare his prey apart, feasting on their entrails.

"Go, go go!" Luis said as he ran past them. He quickly opened the door to the first door to his right. His gut feeling told him that soon they would face this abomination. He hoped that the elevator was working.

Luis quickly made his way to the switch that called the small elevator and flipped it. But all he got for his efforts was a big, fat, nothing.

"D-mn it!"

"What?" Chris asked nervously while keeping the gun pointed at the door.

"There's no power. We'll have to find another power source, a generator. It shouldn't be too far," Luis spat out.

The men eyed the door warily. Leon spoke first.

"That thing is waiting for us, ready to pick us off one by one... Let's go, all three of us in a tight knit formation. Stay together so we can stand a chance. Are you with me?"

Chris gave a curt nod. "I'm with you all the way, Kennedy."

Luis's answer to the question was taking out his Mine Thrower. He left the scope off since this was going to be a face to face confrontation.

"This will be for our last resort. So when I fire, stay clear of the monster."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go," said Chris. The others followed the slightly taller man to the metal door. He prepared to kick it open.

"Get ready to run, men. This is going to be one hell of a race for survival."

Then the ex-Stars member kicked the door open and ran, the other two following. It wasn't long before the creature attacked.

"Duck!" Chris yelled as some dust and rubble up ahead indicated where the monster was attacking from.

They quickly crouched, narrowly escaping a long, barbed spear like tail lunging forward where Chris's head was. When it retreated, they quickly began running. And the chase was on.

The creature would attack and retreat, attack and retreat. And each time he would change his angle and way of attacking. One minute he would be up above them, the next the freak was underneath their feet under the grating, breaking through the metal. He would try to spear, decapitate, or grab them, but each time they were quicker. It felt like he was merely toying with them like a cat does with a mouse.

Soon, they reached the right door and kicked it open, hoping that this would be a quick flip of the switch. Chris and Leon's stomachs seemed to fall when they saw all the twists and turns of the room. It was filled with noisy machinery which would make it harder to dodge any attacks.

They followed Luis who now was leading, who wasn't that sure of where he was going. He was winging it, hoping he wasn't leading the two men to their deaths. After turning another corner, he finally spotted what he was searching for. The switch to the generator. He grabbed the lever and gave the two men a triumphant look. It didn't last when the sound of the door slamming open caught their attention.

Luis pushed up, hearing the generator kick in. The men then quickly ran back to the open doorway, but were stopped when a metal shutter fell into place. A computerized female voice spoke in Spanish. Luis translated as his face paled.

"Please wait three minutes for the power to stabilize."

The men looked up at the ceiling, there weapons going back and forth.

"This is it then. No more running from the big ugly," Chris said with finality.

Leon clutched his Striker, ready to pull the trigger.

"Leon, you go first since you have the short range advantage. I'll be behind you while Luis, you can get behind me. That way, if push comes to shove, we'll duck and you fire your mines."

They complied, getting into position. Leon, now leading, began walking forward slowly. His muscles tense, the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Now that they can't flee, they have to fight and face this monster.

The creature would have smiled if he still had lips. He loved the silence before he revealed himself to his prey. They knew he was there yet not where. They would realize that confrontation with him was inevitable and try to do the heroic thing and face him. The air becomes frigid as they could clearly feel his presence. Then, when the pressure was built high enough, he would swoop down and let them see his powerful body unveiled. The fear on their faces always filled his cold heart up with a sadistic glee. It was like a fine wine, preserved just right.

He prepared to release his power and revel in their fear. Then, after allowing them to use their puny weapons, he would tear them apart, one by one. He waited three more seconds, then he dropped.

Leon jumped back when the tall figure dropped down right in front of him. The Verdugo towered over him, it's eyes shining brightly with a red light. It's exoskeleton looked hard and was a shiny black, resembling that of a beetle. It's legs were long and surprisingly slim, though they held more strength then they showed. His arms were equally skinny, though his claws were massive and sharp. Leon couldn't figure out if this thing was a bug, reptile, or scorpion. In fact, the only human thing remaining was from the eye level up. That was the only patch of skin that the men could see. And his long hair seemed human, but that was all.

Their enemy let out a very loud scream, signaling the fight has begun.

Leon began firing at the monster blocking his path. The creature took one step back, looking as if he enjoyed the attempts made on his life. Chris stepped up beside the struggling agent and began firing, but neither put a dint in it.

The creature began clicking and making a guttural sound, apparently the freak was laughing. Then he attacked the men, who ducked as a long arm tried swiping off some heads. He kept swinging, backing them back to the door. Chris saw what the intelligent being was doing, and let out a yell for Luis to fire. He didn't have the chance when it's long tail speared forward, delivering a deep gash in his left cheek. Luis yelled and dropped his weapon, clutching his severely bleeding face.

Verdugo screeched with glee as it jumped forward, tackling both men. Chris and Leon tried to move, but the weight of the monster had them pinned and helpless. The predator began clicking as his long tail wound itself over Verdugo's shoulder, ready to deliver a killing blow to both men. But the creature didn't expect the blinding pain to his only soft spot, his forehead.

Luis smacked the monster over and over with his Mine Thrower, rage spurring him on. The monster tried to spear the annoying human, but Luis was too quick and dodged his attacks. With Chris and Leon's renewed struggles to push the him off while the traitor was busy giving him a concussion, the monster had no choice but to back off.

He quickly sprung off and jumped back up on the roof, crawling away.

"Come on! Let's kill that Bast-rd!" Luis yelled as he jumped over them.

The two men quickly got up, and tried to stop their friend. They stopped when the sound of the shutter door opening, and the computerized voice saying something in Spanish. It didn't take a genius for them to know that it was telling them that the door was now opened.

Verdugo hissed as he scurried from dark corner to dark corner. He didn't expect the scientist to surprise him like that or even get a good hit on him. But it was just a fluke as the Americans would say, a lucky shot. This time, he will waste no time in disposing Luis Sera. Then he will have his fun with the Americans.

Luis stopped, feeling the monster's burning stare. It was close, he could feel it. He turned and put his back near the nitrogen tank. It will be any second now...

Verdugo roared as he grabbed Luis's throat, lifting him in the air from his position on the ceiling. Luis dropped his weapon and tried to loosen the vice like grip. His air was quickly depleting, causing his lungs to burn for much needed air. He faintly heard Leon's voice as he stared into Verdugo's red eyes. They were filled with hate, rage, and evil glee.

Then some shots rang out, though they did nothing to harm the creature. But it did do it's part in releasing the Spaniard. He fell hard on his back, the oxygen still a hard thing to grasp. He opened his mouth to gasp for air, but the fall plus the choking made it very difficult to allow a tiny bit of air into his burning lungs.

His vision blurred as he watched the creature drop down, barely missing his head. He saw Leon rush past the monster and jump on the tank of nitrogen. He knew that he should move away, but the energy was just not there. Then a pair of strong hands grabbed his shirt and dragged him away as Leon kicked and kicked till the nitrogen came detached from the wall.

The freezing nitrogen gas sprayed as it fell to the ground, then violently twirled around as the contents emptied from the tank. The monster was ignoring the nitrogen gas - big mistake. His limbs began to freeze, making his movements slowed down till he was moving at a snails pace. Leon raised his Striker and fired away at the Verdugo, slowly chipping away at his armor.

Then, just as quickly when the limbs froze up did they began to find movement easier. Soon, the frost melted, giving him back the freedom to chase. But his prey was no where in sight.

"Take Luis to the elevator and get out of here!"

Chris slowed down and responded. "Are you crazy? You're not going to stay and fight this thing, Leon. Let's all get the hell out of here!"

Leon shook his head as he dropped his Striker and showed Chris the Mine Thrower.

"Don't worry about me. I got a strategy now. Now go!"

Chris didn't argue, instead he grudgingly did as he was asked. Leon hurried and stopped by the nitrogen tank in the twisting tunnel, waiting on the creature. He wasn't lying when he said that he had a strategy now. But he couldn't know for sure if it would work. The only thing he could hope for was to give Chris and Luis time to escape. Someone had to survive to save the women, or all was lost.

Verdugo howled as he charged, his pincer mouth wide open, showing several rows of tiny razor sharp teeth. Leon stood his ground. As the creature leaped, Leon did the same thing as with the last tank. And it worked just as perfectly as last time. He didn't waste time as he emptied the mine thrower, then ran. He heard the mines beeping for a few seconds..

The sounds of several tiny but effective explosions behind him as he ran for the next door. Surely another tank would be in there. He kicked the door open and almost smiled at the tank next to the wall. The room was perfect also since it was empty except for a single machine in the corner.

Meanwhile, Verdugo was shaking off what the agent had pulled on him. He was hurt, something he hasn't experienced since being a normal human. His hard outer shell was broken where the agent had left several of those deadly mines. Together, their mini explosions had done what several tried to do. Now, brown blood was flowing steadily from his wounds. He growled in his throat. It was because of the nitrogen, freezing his shell till it was brittle.

Verdugo cursed Leon and all that had dealings with him. He could already feel his energy depleting, though he was still faster and stronger than all men combined. But now, he had weak spots. He couldn't allow this to happen. He must kill them.

So, with those gloomy thoughts, Verdugo crawled among the walls. He listened for any sounds that would tell him where his prey hid. He could hear the two back in the elevators room, but their evil little companion was not with them. That left that one room that was in the middle of the tunnel. He knew that the little creep was in there, waiting for him. But this time he would not fall for it yet again.

Leon felt anxious. And not just because there was an angry freak of nature on his tail, but because the freak of nature hasn't burst through that door to try and rip him to shreds. He couldn't help but feel that maybe it had decided to go after the other two where ever they were now. Maybe his plan has failed and it caught up with them and killed them!

Leon knew he had to keep his cool, but the thoughts persisted. He also knew that his training taught him not to second guess himself, that would get him killed. But, he had to take action and check out the perimeter.

So, he quietly strolled over to the door and opened it. The door creaked open, causing Leon to wince. If the monster was near and couldn't find him, it would surely know he was here now. So, he waited... And nothing happened. He gathered his strained nerves and stepped out the of the room, but kept the door open.

He slowly walked out till he was out of the short hall and in the wider tunnel. Nothing. He shivered, knowing that he was being watched.

"Come on... Where are you," Leon quietly spoke. He didn't like being exposed like this.

His nerves getting the better of him, he came to the decision to turn around and go back and let the creature come to him. Follow the original spur of the moment plan. Then, something hot began dripping on his blond hair. He slowly looked up and saw the monster, it's blood dripping down on his face.

"Heh. Figures I'd see your ugly face again."

The Verdugo responded with a roar as it attacked. Leon quickly rolled away and ran for the open doorway. A large claw grabbed his right ankle and yanked back. Leon dropped the Mine Thrower and grabbed the edges of the doorway and hung on for dear life. He yelled in pain as the creature tugged hard. It was the same leg that the rope wrapped around earlier during the giant fish decent to the bottom of the lake.

Verdugo growled and pulled harder, intending to pull his leg off. Then he would enjoy tearing off the other limbs. Things were looking up!

Poor Leon, things looked dire in his future. He had to quickly go through his options.

_(A) I can hang on, hoping Chris didn't listen to me and get his fat butt here and save me. Of course the freak would tear off my leg by then and beat me to death with it. _

Leon almost cried as the pressure on his leg grew worse.

_(B) Alright, I could let go and hope my trusty knife and my agent skills will kill the freak. But, then it wouldn't work and I'd find myself being eaten or it would tear my head off and put it on a pike._

Leon swore loudly as he felt his leg being stretched to the limit.

_(C) I... I... I could... I'm dead. Might as well go out in style and let go and grab that Mine Thrower. Then, BOOM! HA! Hahahahahahahahaaaaa!.. Ah crap. I forgot, the mine thrower is empty now... And Luis has the ammo for it... Just my luck._

The only option Leon had was to die. At least that what it seemed like. So Leon decided to just wing it. He let go and quickly grabbed his Blacktail from it's holster. All this was done in seconds since it took seconds to be pulled over till he was directly under the Verdugo, who was looking rather pleased.

Leon roared himself as he fired away. Wrather it was luck or providence or great aiming, Leon's bullets hit the patches of unprotected skin that the mines had greatly unveiled. The monster howled in agony, jumping back to get away from Leon's gun fire.

Leon's gun clicked, telling him to get up and run. So he did. He ran back to the room, taking off his case and bringing out the TMP. He heard the monsters' running steps behind him, not giving him much time. He turned to run over to the tank, but the creature leaped and stood between him and his goal.

Brown stinky blood now poured from Verdugo's wounds. His eyes didn't shine as brightly now, the killer look now dulled. Leon raised the TMP and gave a defiant look.

"You're finished. I'll be sending your master to join you in hell soon. You can count on it!"

The creature spread it's arms and hissed. Leon presumed that was it's way of saying, "Bring it on!" Well, he'll definitely bring it on!

Then, the sound of beeping came from behind the Verdugo, where the tank was. Both Leon and monster looked confused. The monster slowly turned to see a mine sticking to the tank. Then it exploded. Cold Nitrogen liquid completely covered the creature, instantly freezing his body. Then the sound of shotgun blasts was heard as it delivered the final blows, shattering the creature into tiny pieces covering the floor. Leon relaxed and turned his head to see Luis and Chris, standing there with their weapons.

"I thought I told you to run?"

"You did," Chris responded in a casual manner. He glanced at Leon briefly while he reloaded his Riot gun. "Thought you would need our help, Lone Ranger."

Leon snorted in disagreement, though his eyes glinted with mirth and thankfulness. For once, he was grateful for that stubborn streak inside the Redfield's genes.

"You two should have listened."

Luis then decided to speak, his voice gravely and soft from the choking he endured. "Actually, we didn't have a choice. The computer said it would take at least five minutes before it would reach our level, due to technical difficulties."

Leon looked from one man to the next. Based from their looks, _they were_ going to listen to what he told them to do. What a shocker. Well, at least they came back instead of waiting for the elevator.

"Boy, do I feel important," Leon muttered sarcastically. He reloaded his Blacktail, smiling somewhat. He did owe them one. And he did need their help, but he would never tell them that.

"Hey," Luis said but couldn't go on. His throat constricted with pain, causing him to wince and cover the bruised area of his flesh.

Chris put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't speak. You need to let your windpipes rest. Just... point or.. blink once for no and twice for yes."

Luis nodded, though he still had to show them what he was trying to say.

He walked over to the melting pieces of what was left of the Verdugo, and picked up a shiny gold piece. It had a green jewel set in it. On the back was a stud, as if it fit into something. He smiled and tossed the jewel covered piece to Chris. Chris scowled a bit as his gloved hand caught the slippery object. He wiped the gunk off on his pants, then grinned. It was a piece of the crown.

**R**

Claire's feet dragged as she followed Salazar's small form. Her eyes drooped continuously, as did the other two girls. What felt like a pin prick in the middle of her spine forced her to snap back to attention, though she knew it wouldn't last. She cast a unhappy glance over her shoulder at the black robed body guard, the one who still held that stupid blade. She felt like whipping around and take the weapon from the freak's clawed grasp and stick it up where the sun don't shine.

But that would be hard to do with her hands tied. So instead, she just thought up all the things she was going to do as soon as she was free. Of course the way she was feeling now would make it impossible. She really missed her weapons.

Sheila, who was next to her, stumbled and fell to her knees. Claire and Ashley stopped and tried to get her to stand up, but it was useless. The teen was just too tired and drained from everything the day and night has thrown at her. When Claire saw the Verdugo reach for the back of Sheila's neck, Claire quickly put her body between them. She stared defiantly up at where she supposed it's eyes would be.

"Humph. Looks like the one who likes to chat can't keep up. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You know what happens to stragglers?"

Sheila shook her head as she tried to look at the Castellan in the eye. Her eyes kept closing with exhaustion. Salazar grinned and leaned in till their noses nearly touched.

"We put iron shoes over a hot open fire. And when the iron shoes turn bright red... we put them on the stragglers and watch them scream and jump and run. It's like a dance you see, a dance for us. If you do not get back up, my guard will take you in a room, heat up the special iron shoes, and bring you before me. Then, you will dance for my amusement."

Sheila's eyes widened in fear as the scenario played out. She tried to hop up, but she only got as far as one knee up. Her feet and body was hurting and too exhausted. She tried again, this time fulfilling Salazar's orders. But soon her knees began to buckle. She closed her eyes and stiffened her muscles. This was a bad thing, for it caused her legs to cramp ferociously. She cried out and collapsed again.

Claire gritted her teeth and spoke angrily at the Castellan.

"Look, we're exhausted! We're not one of your Ganados who could get up after being shot in the head! Please, just bear with us and let everyone have a rest and some water."

Ramon seemed to take this into consideration. She was right, these two girls parasites were not mature enough to give them the strength for such long marches. He could even see strain on this woman who has no parasite at all. But he didn't have time, they had to get to the main temple and prepare for the ritual to welcome them into paradise. They also had to inject this strange young woman with an egg. So much to do; so little time to do it.

"We don't have time. I can't count on the fact that my Adan has killed those pests. The only choice that is available is to keep moving. Agustin, take this and give it to the weak one. That should perk her up," Salazar said with a growing smirk as he took out a small metal canteen from the inner pocket of his blue coat. The guard took it and unscrewed the cap.

Claire couldn't believe it. They were going to give her liquor!

Agustin grabbed Sheila's jaw and forced it to open. She barely put up a fight. He then poured the smelly, brown liquid in her mouth. Her eyes immediately opened as she began to choke and try to get out of his grasp. But the creature was persistent and too strong for her to get away from.

"She's only eighteen years old! She's too young for alcohol of any sort!"

Salazar ignored Claire's protests and watched the scene play out. He then raised a hand, and curtly spoke.

"That's enough... Does anyone else need a pick me up? It's a very special brand, my guards own old family recipe."

Ashley shivered with fright and shook her head while Claire didn't say anything. Salazar then took the canteen and put it back where it belonged.

"Good. Now, let's continue on. We're late as it is."

Sheila felt the guard lift her to her feet and push her. She didn't stumble to Claire's surprise. Sheila noticed the older woman's worried look, so she tried to reassure her with a smile. All she knew is that when she turned twenty-one, she will never, ever, ever, ever have any form of alcohol again. Her throat burned, her eyes watered continuously, her head swam with dizziness yet alertness at the same time. She didn't know if she should pass out or puke first.

Maybe she was drunk, or just tipsy. Either way, the stuff had its desired effects. The liquor began to warm her body up, making her feel sick yet cozy. Yet the taste in her mouth was absolutely disgusting! How could people drink that stuff? She shook her head and tried to concentrate on walking. All she knew was that she was wide awake now. Hopefully, she would stay that way, or Salazar will have that freak pour more poison down her throat. Only good thing that would come from that is her puking on Ramon's shoes. That brought a smile to the teens face.

**R**

Saddler rubbed his chin, his thoughts were on the situation at hand. From the report from his men back at the castle, Salazar has failed in killing agent Kennedy, Luis, and that American intruder. True, Ramon has the girls and that woman in custody, but his record on handling these pests were spotty.

Well, at least he knew who the intruder now was. His men had gotten some pictures of the brunette and used that to look into the American system. There they found out that he was an ex-air force pilot, and a ex-S.T.A.R.S. member. In fact, he was one of the few who survived the mansion incident. How quaint.

And the woman was his little sister, Claire Redfield. She survived with the agent in Raccoon City, then went on to find her brother. She had managed to live the horrors form the Umbrella bases in the hunt for her older sibling. In the end, she and her brother were reunited at the Antarctic base, having a happy ending. How cliche of them.

He had tried to reach his boy Salazar, but he couldn't get a signal. But it was probably for the best. Sometimes Ramon acts irrationally when his temper is stirred up. If he would to find out that the young Redfeild knew Leon, then he might make her disappear, despite his request for her to live.

Saddler's thoughts were interrupted by the electronic door sliding open. Krauser's large bulk filled the doorway, the light behind him casting a halo around his still form. Saddler leaned back in to his throne and watched as the tall, muscled man strolled over, then knelt on one knee and bowed his head

_How long did you know, Krauser, about these intruders? Probably from the beginning, you idiotic, foolish, American ape. You must take me for an idiot. How little do you and your superiors know me. Your time will come soon_.

"I have an assignment for you Krauser. One I trust only you to carry out."

Krauser slowly looked up at Saddler, his blue eyes cold as ice as he spoke.

"What would you have me to do, Lord Saddler?"

Saddler held back the smile, loving the way this spy tried to butter him up. Makes killing this traitor the more satisfying.

"My boy Salazar is having trouble disposing the two Americans and Luis, the traitorous insect. I have a feeling he might lose the three girls due to certain pests. Dispose of these swines when you have the chance. But first, take control of the situation and bring the girls here. But handle it delicately; Ramon doesn't quite trust you yet."

Krauser stood up and gave a chilling smile. "Yes, Lord Saddler. I'll take care of the problem, you can count on it."

**R**

"Okay, the dynamites lit!" Chris shouted as he ran over to the other two.

They just went through a major battle with Ganado villagers and a happy chainsaw maniac. As the merchant promised, the Striker came in handy with the close quarters combat. And having more ammo than the Riot gun did help. Now the only thing left to do was to blow up the boulder blocking them from the large doors.

They covered their ears and waited. The explosion was large and loud, blowing the giant Boulder to smithereens. When the dust settled, the two villagers that was waiting for them earlier over there, was now gone. Which left them alone. For the time being that is. The three crossed over, though they were a bit hesitant to open the large metal doors. Chris spoke first.

"It's not like there will be another freak monster in there. Right?"

Luis and Leon looked at each other and said nothing. Luis for obvious reasons since his throat was still recovering. As for Leon, he really didn't want to jinx them.

Chris sighed and opened the heavy doors. He then stepped inside, his finger slightly touching the trigger of the Riot gun. The first thing that they noticed was the heat in the room. They noticed that under the metal crating floor, hot liquid magma substance glowed yellow and red. The heat on their shoes was horrible, making it feel as if their feet was on fire.

The three ran to the large metal gate, hoping to find a switch so they could leave this hot room. But as you know, this was not to be. For when they were within five feet of the gate, it opened without their help. And in stepped two El Gigantes.

"You've got to be kidding me," Chris exclaimed.

The dark skinned giant with the black cloth covering it's face roared. The men ran back to the metal circle in the middle of the floor.

"We should split up," Chris suggested. Luis shook his head while Leon began looking at his surroundings. He noticed that they were in a circular room with no where to hide. They could maybe climb the ladder to the top, but that would only be safe for so long before the two giants come and start breaking apart the scaffold.

The floor vibrated as the paler Gigante began to walk forward, his eyes holding some sort of intelligence, his face curling up a lip in what could be marked as disgust. His face looked as if had a brown, leather muzzle, though now a chain hung uselessly from it.

Chris and Luis began to fire while Leon noticed the switch. He didn't notice that the other two had backed away, or that the dark one joined in with the smarter Gigante.

"Leon! MOVE!"

Leon looked up at the sound of Chris's yell and saw a foot raised above his head. He quickly rolled to the left, narrowly escaping instant death. But he didn't have time to run for the dark one swooped his hand down and brought the agent up close to his face. Leon knew what came next.

Leon screamed as the giant squeezed, slowly crushing his body. Leon brought out his knife and stabbed with all his worth. Relief went through his mind when it let him go, howling in pain. The pale one, who was chasing Luis and Chris around, heard it's partner's howl. It saw Leon scrambling away while it's comrade held it's bleeding hand.

Leon saw the hatred and blood lust in the pale ones eyes, causing him to run back to the ladder. He quickly climbed, hoping that he himself knew what he was doing. When he reached the top, he saw that the other two already were closing in on his position. He didn't have much time.

Leon noticed that he could slide down the winch and land by the switch. Question is, what is it for? That's when he noticed the metal circle he and the others stood on just a little bit ago. Maybe...

Leon felt the giant's shaking the scaffold, trying to get him to fall off the platform. He didn't have time to go over the details on the plan forming in his mind, he just had to try and do it. So, he grabbed the winch and jumped off, the winch quickly bringing him to the other side of the room.

He let go and landed on his feet. To his relief, he noticed his shotgun lying near the circle, but not on it. He hoped the monsters didn't drag it with them when he flipped the switch. Opening his mouth, he shouted orders to Chris and Luis to hurry toward him. They did without asking any questions, though not knowing why the agent was so persistent about it. They heard growls coming from the pale Gigante, who finally noticed that Leon was no longer on the platform. His friend still shook the scaffold, the situation not clicking in his slow mind.

Chris gulped and raised his gun, casting a glance at Leon. The agent had his hand on the switch, looking as if he were perfectly calm. He hoped the younger man knew what he was doing. For a angry Gigante was coming for them. The dark one, now noticing Leon was no longer there, quickly caught up with it's smarter partner.

It quickly passed him and stepped onto the metal circle. Leon saw that the other one wasn't going to step on the circle, but instead it went around. Leon flipped the switch.

The circle immediately opened, dropping the surprised dumb Gigante down into the pool of magma. It screamed as it thrashed around, trying to escape. But the screams ceased as did the giant. Steam filled the air. The pale one stared at the bubbling goo, as if in shock. Then it turned it's angry eyes at the smaller men, drool dripping from his lips.

"I think we should move," Chris said while steeping away. Leon didn't argue.

Luis, Chris and Leon ran at the opposite of the circle, keeping the pool of lava between them and their enemy. When coming close to the opening, Leon picked up his Striker and began to fire while Chris and Luis did the same. Luis decided to use the rest of his mines in his Mine Thrower. He emptied his gun, then threw it behind him since he had no more spare ammo.

The mines beeped a few seconds, then exploded, leaving some minor wounds. This only angered the Gigante even more, making him go in a rage. Luis gulped as did the others.

Suddenly,the dark Gigante sprung from the lava and reached out his hands to grab the ex-scientist. Leon and Chris grabbed their friend and pulled him back just in time. The monster who now looked like a melting zombie moaned, then fell back into the pit.

The circular doors closed, making way for the Gigante.

"Okay, same plan. You two distract him while I climb the latter."

Leon ran for the platform while Chris and Luis pestered the giant. They threw flash grenades, blinding it. Then they would shoot and edge toward the switch, trying to buy Leon time. It worked. When Leon was finally on the platform, he fired his Striker. The Giant turned and charged, crashing into the scaffold. This was not what Leon expected. He soon flew off the platform and landed on it's back.

The giant roared and reached back to grab him, but Leon let go and soon hit the floor. He turn and ran, hearing the giant breathing down his neck. As soon as he crossed over the platform, he shouted to the other two to flip the switch. They did.

The giant felt the weight give way and did something unexpected. It rolled to the left, narrowly escaping his comrade's fate. The three were shocked.

"Looks like we have one that learns quickly," Chris stated as he reloaded his Riot Gun. Luis decided to bring out the Broken Butterfly, the one he forgot to give to Leon.

"Guess it's the old fashion giant slaying for us," Leon muttered as he dropped the Striker and unclasped a flash grenade.

"We'll shoot it. Leon, you just throw the flash grenades and wait for it to reveal it's parasite. Then you can climb it's back and finish him," Luis croaked.

Leon nodded and ran straight for the giant. It seemed to like his ferociousness and cracked it's hands in preparation. But then it didn't expect another blinding flash in his face.

Chris and Luis quickly ran to the opposite side of the circle and began firing. The giant forgot about Leon who now was behind him, and instead focused it's rage on the two men across from him. But he never had a chance to give chase, for soon he was brought to his knees, the parasite flailing about. Leon quickly scrambled up it's back and stuck a flash grenade in the slimy mouth of the parasite. He then leaped off, hearing the flash grenade going off.

The giant screamed as the parasite literally exploded from the bright, deadly light. Puss, blood, and a stinky brown liquid sprayed from his back. His strength was zapped out of him, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Then with one last breath, he fell down into the lava pit, melting. The pit's door closed, leaving the three men free from Los Dos Gigantes.

**Authors Note: And that's that. I hoped the alcohol scene didn't offend anyone. That was inspired by the Twin Towers in the Lord of the Ring Trilogy, where the orks forced Merry to drink the Ork liquor to revive him in a way. I just thought that fit in somehow. I just want to say one thing. If you are younger than twenty-one and you are drinking, then you should know that in America it's illegal. I don't condone drinking before the legal age limit here. So don't go drinking, then tell everyone that sheshe21 wrote about it in a short scene of her fic. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!**

**Okay, I got that out in the open. Now, I just want everyone to know that if you haven't voted yet on my pole, do so now. I will be closing when I post the next chapter so vote now! But review first. I mean it, review now... NOW!**


	32. Chapter 31: Many Obstacles

**Author's Note**: Hey yooooouuuuu guuuuuuys! Thanks for your helpful reviews! You're the best! This should be an enjoyable chapter for you Res fans. I'm using a Beta reader now so things should be flowing much smoother. Enjoy!

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**Resient Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 31:** **Many** **Obstacles**

Ada kept silent as a mouse as she slowly tracked Salazar and his latest victims, the President's daughter and the two headstrong women. It was easier tracking the group now that one of those interesting but vile creatures were gone. That only left two dangerous opponents left, Ramon and the other Verdugo.

If you were there, you wouldn't be able to resist watching the stealthy spy. Her silent long strides were steady and confident. It would be like watching one of those Nature shows where the panther is stalking its prey.

Suddenly, our tiny but deadly predator stops and hides in the shadows. Her prey has stopped in front of a large metal door. Salazar seemed busy giving orders to the two monks guarding the door.

They quickly opened the door and stepped back, their heads bowed in reverance as the group passed them by. Ada waited ten seconds after the door was closed before she set out to dispatch the two Ganado monks.

Ada unsheathed her knife and began scraping it against the stone wall as she slowly walked down the short hall. The two men looked at each other, suspicion shining in their red eyes. The older monk, who had the cults ingsignia tattooed on his left cheek, motioned for his young companion to check out the hall. The young monk seemed reluctant to do so, but in the end he followed his instructions.

With his scimitar in hand, he slowly stalked the sound from the hallway. When he reached the shadows, the sound suddenly stopped. His pale hands gripped the weapon tighter as he stopped and listened. His senses told him that someone or something was near. He could turn around and escape the danger that was lurking there, but to do that would make him a coward. Lord Saddler looked down on those who met danger and fled.

So in his native tounge, the young Ganado spoke loudly to his soon to be executioner. His voice held none of the fear he felt deep inside.

"In the name of the great Lord Saddler, show yourself now! For if you do, his favored servant, Salazar, will show you mercy and let you live. You have five seconds to do so."

The young monk opened his mouth in a silent scream as a sharp, unbearable pain pierced the crown of his head. He felt something hot and wet trail down his forehead. He raised his hand and touched the wet substance, his brain not comprehending what just happened. He looked down at his hand and saw that his thick brownish blood now coated his hand.

The monk dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. As his vision blurred, the dying young man saw a shadow slowly passing by. The shadow stopped and stepped out a little from the shadows. The moonlight behind his killer revealed the shape of a slim woman, but not her face. With his last dying breath, he cursed her.

Then the parasite burst through his fragile skull, spraying blood and brain matter all over the wall and the bottom of Ada's lavish red dress. The creature was in its first stage of morphias, making it quite easy to finish it off. She picked up the dead man's scimitar and began slashing and hacking away till the blobby parasite stopped twitching and disintergrated.

Ada quickly turned around and pressed her slim body up against the wall as the older monk came running up. The shadows hid her well as the Ganado investigated the scene.

The older monk felt rage when he saw the gooey mess on the floor and walls. It didn't take a crime scene investigator to see that a messy murder happened there. His red eyes saw the bloody knife on the floor. He bent down and picked up the weapon, giving Ada a perfect opening.

The spy swung the blade down, imbedding the weapon into the fanatic's lower spinal vertabrae. It was what a trained professional killer knew as the sweet spot. The surprised monk fell to his knees, twitching as Ada twisted the blade somewhat. Then in a blink of an eye, Ada cleanly chopped off the Ganado's head.

When the fully grown parasite emerged, Ada quickly sliced and diced before any real threat was made. The body disentergrated quickly, leaving only her knife behind.

Ada hummed as she grabbed her serrated knife and wiped the gooey blood off on her white hankerchief. Then when statisfied with her work, she sheathed it and picked up where she left off.

"Now back to business."

**R**

Sheer will can drive a man to do the craziest things. It can drive you beyond your physical limits and even your mental limits. This was one of those times for Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Luis Serra.

After their gruesome battle with the two El Gigantes, the weary group rested for a few minutes. They took this unusual quiet time to bandage the injuries that was recieved. Of course poor Leon needed the most bandaging after being knocked around by the two giants. Chris and Luis didn't say a word as they helped the hurt, silent man.

After rewrapping his already broken ribs, Luis had the agent eat a green herb and a yellow one. It seemed that the yellow herb delivered pain relief as well as a faster healing process. Soon, Leon was able to get up and walk without gasping in pain. But the others persisted that Leon should rest, that when the pain relief faded, he would feel all the more worse for moving around. The agent simply stated that the wicked never rested.

The two men gave up, knowing that nothing would convince Leon to take a longer breather. So on they marched, hurt, tired, but very determined to catch up with the women folk.

They soon found themselves in another Novistadors lair. Except this time, there was barely any light. Only the pale moonlight lit the dimly, large cavern.

From what they could make out, they were in what looked like a large open cave. There was nature made bridges going this way and that way, like a busy highway. Strangely enough, there was a large mirror hanging high up.

They also could see and hear several Novistadors flying around in the cavern. At least they had one thing in their favor, the insects didn't bother using camoflauge.

It was Luis who noticed the small stone pillar nearby. He translated the inscription to the two men, who in turn disliked the cryptic instructions.

"Great, just great. Another bizzare way of opening yet another so-called door. Where's our break, huh," whispered Chris with deep seeded frustration.

"If the bad guys cut breaks, they would be out of business. Besides, you heard the instructions. We just have to find the what-you-may-call-its and the path will be lighted or.. uh.. something or other will happen. Nothing is simple now days."

"No time to gripe, gentlemen, for I think the guardians have finally noticed our presence," Luis warned as he pointed his weapon at the three Novistadors heading their way.

The men quickly banded together and began firing their weapons. Though Luis was good with his Red-nine and the two Americans used their shotguns, the insects easily manuevered around thier shots, making them look like amatuers. The Novistadors would dive in and out, trying to knock the intruders down.

In doing this, the insects became over-confident. Soon, Leon nailed them with his Striker. He blew off two of the insects' heads while the third one only had his wings clipped. He would have fallen to his death if he was a bit farther away from the ledge, but sadly it wasn't. It had quickly grabbed the ledge, its green eyes growing red with pain and rage.

Luis didn't give the insect a chance to climb back up. He quickly ran up to the ledge and began stomping on its bony, sharp claws till the creature eventually lost its hold and plummeted down into the abyss.

"Come on, this way," Luis ordered as he took the bridge along the west wall. Chris and Leon followed, ignoring the Novistadors screeches. Instead they concentrated on Luis's lean form as he led them bravely up higher on the ledge.

Luis looked over at his ten'o clock position and almost turned around to flee. Five more insects were heading for their direction. It would be so easy for the Novistadors to knock them off the ledge.

Luis then spotted a tunnel that was rapidly coming up. It seemed dangerous and folly to go in there. If the tunnel turned out to be nothing but a cave, then their chance of surviving was not good. They would be trapped.

Luis quickly made the split second decision and ran inside, the other two following close behind. The tunnel was short and led to what Luis expected it would. A dead end.

"A dead end? Great! Now we're-"

The sound of wings and scraping feet stopped Chris from biting Luis's head off. The three turned around and waited for the inevitable battle.

Five Novistadors came running inside at an angle, their eyes glowing red with hungry anticipation. The guys began to fire, but they soon were over run with insects as three more flew inside. Then the battle really began.

The men slowly began to push the horde back. Blood and guts littered the floor. Finally, the insects began to retreat, leaving one of their stubborn members behind.

It hissed and screeched as the men fired, jumping from wall to floor then back on the roof. It was very agile, like an acrobat. It kept up with its dodge tatics till the men had to reload their weapons. The Novistador screamed as it went on the offensive and attacked.

The insect leaped at the nearest to it, Chris. Luis saw this and shouted as he quickly reloaded his red-nine.

Chris saw the creature and dropped his Riot gun and took out his knife. But the insect was faster and had landed on its target. The force knocked the ex-S.T.A.R. member back.

Chris's back hit a large button, causing a bright light to flash in the room for a second. The bug screeched and let Chris go. It seemed disoriented as it stumbled onto the floor, shaking its head. Chris seized the opportunity and rammed his combat knife deep in the middle of the numerous green eyes. The blade made contact with the brain, killing the insect instantly.

Chris withdrew his blade and watched the twitching body disentergrate. He silently cleaned his knife of its yellow gore on his pants, feeling satisfied.

"That must be it! The first light to light our path," Luis said excitedly.

"Good. Let's go find the next one," Leon said after finishing with reloading his Striker.

Chris agreed as he picked up his gun. "Let's go then and take advantage of what the bright light did. That is, if it affected the insects like it did with our dead freak here. Otherwise, things might be more difficult."

The three guys quickly ran back up the tunnel till they reached the entrance. They waited, trying hard to hear the faintest sound of their enemy. It was eerily silent. Since there was now more light, they could see more on what was on the other side of the cavern.

"Okay, on three. One... Two...," Luis slowly said.

"Three," Chris said excitedly as he ran past the two men.

Chris smirked as he ran, feeling Luis's scowl burning at the back of his skull. He heard their footsteps behind as he ran up the path.

He stopped when reaching the door. It looked like a smooth ordinary wall with no door handle or anything that looked like it would open a way out of the cavern. The only thing he saw was the cult's insignia painted on the so called door.

Leon leaned towards the door and smelt the white substance. His brow furrowed as he pulled away. "It's some kind of chemical."

"Don't you see? When we press both of the switches, a heated light shoots out and reflects off that large mirror. That light will be aimed at this door and will start the chemical reaction that will most likely melt this door," Luis explained.

"Oh, I get it. It's just like taking a magnifying glass and letting the sun shine through it. Which of course starts a heated reaction and starting fires on ant hills... What?"

"Nothing. Your explanation just explains a lot about you and your love of violence," Luis remarked dryly. Chris was just about to respond with a not so nice remark when the Novistadors screech interuppted him.

"Time to go," Leon said.

The three men then proceeded down the east pathway, dodging many attacks from the insects. They were almost knocked down several times on the narrow path. Eventually the Novistadors changed their tactics and began carrying loose stones and rubble and dropping them over the guys' heads.

"What the? Ouch! Can't these things give a guy a break?," Chris siad with clenched teeth. One of the stones had made its mark on his left shoulder.

"Look," Leon shouted. The next cave was right up ahead. This gave the men just enough determination to move on despite of the creatures attacks.

The men quickly ran in the tunnel, moving all the way to the back of the small cave. Leon pressed the button and waited for the screams. The light flashed, followed by screeches of the bugs. Then silence.

"That should do it. Prepare to fight for the exit," Leon remarked with finality.

The three men took their stances and waited for the flood of insects that would soon invade the cave. But oddly nothing happened. After five minutes went by, the men began to get antsy.

"Where are they? We should be exterminating their species by now. Instead, we're standing around like panzies," Chris said with unease.

Luis looked at Leon who seemed to be in deep thought. "They could have been driven away by the light."

Leon slowly nodded. "True. But isn't insects usually attracted to light? Besides, these things are smarter than they look. Something... isn't right."

"I agree with Kennedy. These things pulled a fast one on us when abducting the girls. It could be a trap," Chris said.

The men became silent after that particular remark. Things did not bode well when it came to luck being on their side. They were so close to the exit, yet the things that stood between them was a smart and cunning enemy with wings.

"Since we're in a tight spot, let's take things one step at a time. First we'll take a peek and see what we're up against. Then if things look safe, we'll run for the exit like a bat out of hell," Chris said with wavering confidence.

Leon and Luis agreed. "It's our only option. A crappy one but still the only one," Luis muttered.

So the three quietly walked back to the entrance and studied their surroundings. The room wasn't as dimly lit as before, giving them the advantage to see what layed ahead. But they were not fooled by the appearance of things. This could very well be the end for them.

Leon gave a silent signal to the other two before silently stepping out of the tunnel. He stopped when hearing a gurgling sound. It was coming from just above his head.

He looked up to see the open mouth of the insect. Hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him back just as the Novistador vomited its stomach acid. The acid was steaming as it slowly began to eat away at the stone ground.

"Right. Let's get the hell outta here," Leon shakily said.

The men quickly avoided the vomiting bug and ran. The air soon filled with the sound of the humming of the insects wings and screeches of the insect horde.

The Novistadors immediately attacked, using their old dive in and out tactic to try to knock the intruders off the narrow path. But the men were faster and apparently had luck on their side at the moment. Well, all except Chris. One insect had dropped some stones over Chris's position.

"Aah! Not again," Chris said with deep pain. Two of the rocks had found their marks and landed on his left shoulder again.

Within seconds, the men reached the melted exit. They didn't stop till they reached the large boulders that was pounding the ground over and over. Leon cursed at the new obstacle in their path.

"Hey look! They're not following us," Chris said.

Leon and Luis looked back, seeing that Chris was right. The insects were hovering around the entrance, screetching loudly at their prey. It seemed that the trio was safe for the moment.

"It's the noise. It's to loud for them to tolerate," Luis stated loudly over the constant pounding.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

All the noise made it hard for the men to plan their next course of action. They couldn't go back since this seemed to be the only way. But going forward didn't seem possible either, due to the large boulders. This caused some arguments to break out on the subject of who would go first. In the end, Chris came up with the answer. Rock, paper, scissors.

The first one out was Luis. He didn't really understand why rock didn't rip through paper. In his mind, the weight of the rock should have torn through easily. But the rules said paper wraps rock so he didn't press the matter. That left Chris and Leon to duke it out. Leon was not to thrilled with the results.

"Now tell me why the winner can't stay back while the loser goes on ahead?"

"Suck it up, Leon. All of us agreed that the winner gets the privaledge of going first. So don't forget to tell God for me that I might be seeing him earlier than planned," Chris joked as he gave the stones a uncertain glance.

"Ha ha. You're so freaking hilarious, Redfield... What makes you think that you're going to heaven?," Leon said with a small grin.

"Ooo, nice come back," Chris said.

"I do have my moments."

Like in every story, our characters quickly became solemn as one of their own faced the stones of doom. One wrong move could end the agent's life. But that's how Resident Evil life is, one giant death trap.

Leon waited patiently as he counted the seconds every time the stone hung in the air before crashing down. It seemed that it was steady and could give him the seconds he needed to cross over.

When the moment came, he siezed it with both hands. He quickly ran underneath the stone and climbed the raise in the floor. The boulder came down with him safely ahead of it. Now he found himself between two boulders. The one behind and the one in front.

Like the last one, he waited. His patience payed off for within seconds, Leon was safely across. But his troubles were not over yet.

There were three boulders left, each a few inches apart. He thought about running straight through, but he noticed that the middle boulder was seconds behind the first and third one. Plus he was now going up hill. He couldn't wait underneath the boulder due to the few seconds difference.

Leon looked along the walls of the narrow tunnel, hoping to see a button or switch of some sort. As it turns out, there was a lever on the left wall, close to the death traps. Leon quickly grabbed the rusty lever and prayed that it wasn't another trap. Then he pulled down and waited.

As the three stones pulled up, Leon heard a loud click followed by two booms. The middle one was now locked into place, making a slighty safer passage.

Leon's relief was soon followed by his startle grunt as a hand patted him on the shoulder. He gave Chris a scowl, but the man didn't pay any heed.

Luis appeared next, looking a bit pale from fright. The last boulder nearly got him, shedding a few years off his life.

"So this is it," Chris said with some anxiety.

"Looks like it. But who knows what could be waiting for us on the other side," Leon pointed out.

After checking guns and making sure they had them fully loaded, Leon stepped forward and began their last journey of the stone traps. Just as before, he waited. These two stones were going to be trickier do to how much faster they were than the last two.

Taking a deep breath, Leon made his move. He felt a slight breeze behind him as the boulder came crashing down. So far, no pancake Leon.

Leon exhaled and waited again, his teeth chattering with every boom. It felt like he was in a constant earthquake. It seemed that his nose was vibrating with every boom.

After taking another deep beath, Leon ran and didn't stop till the last boom came from behind him. All the air in his lungs came rushing out, making the agent bend over with emotion. His stomach was in knots from the whole ordeal, but at least he was still alive.

Mintues later, Chris came running through, then seconds later Luis. Now that they were safely through the men gave their whoop of victory. Life never seemed so meaningful as it did at the moment.

With one more obastacle behind them, the trio followed the remainder of the tunnel till they reached a small cavern. Moonlight shone brightly down on a small platform. A sarcophagus was strangely on the small round platform. But that didn't matter for now they could get out of the underground caves.

The men ran forward and boarded the platform. It was Luis who noticed the shiny gold piece on a pedestal in front of the platform. He picked it up and showed it to the other two.

"Look at those jewels! That ruby alone would buy several supplies from the merchant," Leon said admiringly.

Luis flipped the gold piece over, showing the small prong on the back. He gave the piece to Chris. When Chris gave him a puzzled look, Luis explained why he gave the jewel to him.

"That's the missing piece to your crown. Now you have a complete Salazar family crown," Luis said.

Chris smiled as he took out the gold crown and put the final piece in place. His face beamed with pride as he held the gold crown under the moonlight.

"You know, I wander what our little evil friend will do when he sees this," Chris mused.

"Why don't you wear it when the next time we see the little guy," Leon dared.

Chris grinned and excepted the challenge as he put his treasure away. Luis shook his head and muttered in Spanish as he placed his hand over the button on the pedestal. He gave the men a look, waiting for their approval.

"Go ahead and do it. I doubt it's another trap. Besides, I'm willing to risk anything for just a moment up on the surface," Chris said with conviction.

With that said, Luis pressed the button. Gears began to shift with a groan as some dust filled the air. Then with a slight jerk, the round platform began to rise. Things were looking up, literaly.

When they breached the surface, each of the men reacted to the crisp cold air differently. Leon stretched his arms lazily, letting the cold air steal away his fatigue. Luis looked up at the clear night sky and smiled at the full moon. Chris closed his eyes and took deep breaths, satisfied with just feeling the gentle breeze caressing his cheeks.

"Heh! Heh! Nice to see ya alive, strangers! I bet you three are ready to stock up again. Step right inside. I got herbs, ammunition, and a upgrade for that Mine Thrower," the merchant said cheerfully.

As the men entered the tiny shack, the merchant took Leon aside and showed him the letter pinned to the side of the shabby small building. The merchant left Leon alone as he began bargaining with the other two. It wasn't too long before Leon joined them.

Chris watched his friend curiously while he bargined with the strange merchant. Leon was calm but there seemed to be a tightness in his face as he bought some goods. Chris waited till they said their goodbyes to the merchant before confronting his friend.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Leon replied.

"Don't give me that. Something's bugging you. Spill," Chris ordered. Leon stopped walking, knowing that Chris wouldn't let it go till he spilled his guts. Not literally of course.

"While you and Luis did business with the merchant, I read a letter addressed to me," Leon began. Chris and Luis gave Leon their full attention.

"The note said that the parasite within the two girls is growing fast. You see, they were injected with the egg before me, plus they don't have the medication to supress the parasites growth. So basically, the letter said to expect the worse when we finally reach them."

"What? So we're supposed to lose hope just because you get a suspicious letter that says that we're going to be too late? Leon, use some sense. That letter was probably just something that was supposed to make us give up. And-"

"Chris, the letter came from a reliable source. That person wouldn't lie about this," Leon said heatedly. Chris narrowed his eyes at the sudden flare of anger.

"It's from her, isn't it?"

Leon didn't have to say anything, his actions already told a different story. Not only do they have to worry about monsters and Ganados on their trail, they got a spy to worry about. The lady in red was not to be trusted. But then agin, lying about the girls wouldn't benefit her at all, so Chris had to agree that the letter might be legit.

"So what else did our favorite Asian spy have to say about our ladies in trouble?" Luis asked.

"Nothing much. Just a warning that we should be prepared for the worst if we get to the girls too late."

"Okay, so did she mention anything about my sister?"

Leon's face betrayed him, making the blood in Chris's veins go cold. Chris grabbed Leon's tactical shirt and jerked the agent forward. Leon wasn't the least intimitated by the older man's show.

"Tell me Leon. Or so help me I'll-"

"Ada thinks that Salazar is going to inject Claire with the parasite. She said we don't have much time," Leon said sadly.

Chris's dark eyes showed the fear that was growing inside of him. He let go of the tight shirt, and stared down the path they were following. Without saying a word, Chris began walking down the dusty path. Leon and Luis followed quietly from behind.

**R**

Salazar led the group in the temple with the giant robot of himself. Sheila knew it well. In the game she would take her time killing the Ganado monks before raising the bridge. For some reason, her heart would pound as the Salazar robot would chase her down the bridge. She made it safely every time but it always still had the same effect on her when she came to that part of the game.

And now, here she was standing in front of the giant hunk of junk. It's height was much more intimidating in person than seeing it on the screen of her TV. Way more!

You'd think that would be the worst part. But no, Ramon Salazar was the master of kicking you when you were down. The little menace was actually going on and on about every boring detail on how they made the stupid thing! Even his body guard was bored to tears as Salazar bragged about the robot.

"You Americans think that you're so advanced in technology and science. But it is clear that we, the Los Illuminados are way beyond your petty Corporations. Even Umbrella never dreamed of doing what my Lord Saddler is going to do. Don't you see? We are the superior new race! WE... ARE... THE FUTURE! He! He! He! He!"

"Oh brother," Claire mumbled, her eyes rolled at the same time. Amazingly, one of Salazar's unique abilities with the parasite was his keen sense of hearing. Or maybe it was because of the great acoustics in the temple. Either way, Claire's softly spoken words were heard.

Salazar gave a heated glare at Claire. The older woman seemed a little nervous as the young man slowly came toward her, his yellow eyes glowing with calculating anger.

"Is there something you would like to say," Salazar asked sarcastically.

"No. Not really. I mean, I've heard it all before. You just recapped what all the others said in the past," Claire answered truthfully.

"And who are they," Salazar asked with curiosity.

"Nobody. Just a bunch of people who thought that they could conquer the world with experiments that spun out of their control. The same thing that happened to them will happen to you," Claire answered.

Ramon grinned as he decided to let the woman continue with her so called prediction of the future. After all, nothing could stand against him or his Lord. They were too powerful, even for the meddle some agent and his two idiot friends.

"And what is going to happen to me, my lady?"

"You really want to know? Well, my guys are going to catch up with us and save the day by kicking your parasite butt. Then together, we're going to stick a rocket up your Lord Saddler's ass and watch as he lights up the night sky. The reason why this will happen is because you bad guys are all the same. Big mouths and no brains," Claire said with confidence.

Claire held no sarcasam in her voice, only deep conviction about what she was saying. In fact, her seriousness about the situation had Salazar frightened for a few seconds. Somehow, deep inside he knew she was right. Like he had died before by Leon's hands.

Ramon shook his head, clearing those crazy thoughts from his head. He argued with himself that the woman was just trying to have the last say on the matter. Nobody can defeat him or Lord Saddler. Nobody! Of course we know that Claire was right. Or I wouldn't be writing this story if it wasn't so.

"Enough talk! Come, we must hurry if we don't want the ritual interuptted by the filthy Americans and their traitor Luis," Salazar said quickly.

With Ramon walking briskly in front, the women was forced to follow from behind. But the three women didn't mind. Claire's words seemed to fan the flames of hope within their hearts. The guys will come and when they do, there would be hell to pay.

**R**

"Get him off! Get this crazy Ganado off," Chris yelled.

The guys were now underground again. After killing several villagers up on the surface, they saw that they needed another weird key to go forward. It was a round emblem with what was supposed to be the sacrifice to the lion carving on the door they wanted to go through. Of course it wouldn't be simple.

When they first entered the dig site, things seemed quiet. There was only one villager hanging around, which they quickly killed with no problems. It was when they neared a small tunnel that led to a crypt when they found themselves being bush wacked. They of course ran down into the small chamber and began to fight.

And that's where we begin. Leon and Luis were busy taking care of two villagers who decided to let their parasites say hi while Chris was trying to put down a villager with a torch.

The villager kept blowing fire at him in the small space, chasing the poor guy around the sarcophagus. Chris fired with his hand gun, but the bullets didn't seem to faze the Ganado. Chris tripped accidently and now found himself being man handled by crazy torch guy.

The Ganado laughed in Chris's face as he held him down on the crypt with one hand. Chris grimaced as the stench of his breath washed over his senses. He was almost glad the villager was choking him, at least he didn't have to breath it in with his mouth.

The villager held the torch close to Chris's handsome face, the heat from the torch brought more discomfort to his tender skin. The villager took a deep breath but didn't get the chance to blow. Luis had jumped on top of the burly villager's back, startling the Ganado. Luis quickly set to work by beating the Ganado's head with the butt end of his gun.

The Ganado released Chris and quickly began whirling around, trying to knock off Luis. But Luis hung on and continued with his assault. Blood trickled down the villager's head as Luis repeatedly hit him on the back of his head. Soon, the Ganado slowed down and began to stumble. He fell to his knees, causing Luis to finally let go and back away.

Chris stood before the villager, holding a golden King's rod. He gave the Ganado one last sneer before ramming the rod across the Ganado's cheek. The man fell back, his cheek busted wide open. Leon came forward and finished him off with a shot to the head.

"Not that I'm not grateful for you rescuing my ass, but why didn't you just shoot the freak?," Chris asked as he cleaned the blood off the golden sceptor.

"By the time I finished with the parasite, my gun was empty. That's when I saw you and our dead amigo here about to turn you into the human torch. So since it takes a little time to reload I decided to distract the poor creature a different way."

"Oh," Chris simply said. He gave Luis a grateful smile as he went over to the crypt and picked up his handgun that he earlier dropped.

"Are you in the habbit of robbing the dead now, Chris," Leon asked critically. Chris gave Leon a puzzling look till he realized he still had the King's rod in his hand.

"Nah. I just noticed it when I leaned against the lid of the dead guy's tomb. So I picked it up and used it as a bat on the dumb Ganado. Here," Chris said as he passed the heavy item to Leon.

"You can use it to get a couple of upgrades for your weapon," Chris said.

Leon quickly put the treasure away and led the men out of the chamber. Earlier they found some bear traps half buried in the sand. He told the two to be extra careful and then proceeded on.

They easily made it through the maze, avoiding the traps along the way. It was when they neared the ladder when they were ambushed again. Leon pointed up and quickly climbed up the ladder. Chris and Luis followed him, but the climb was treacherous with the axes thrown in their direction.

Their real trouble was when Leon reached the top only to find another Dr. Salvador waiting for him with the dreaded chainsaw. The maniac reved the blade up and charged, swinging the chainsaw wildly. Leon pushed back, causing the ladder to tip backwards.

_"This is going to hurt... A lot_," Leon thought.

The men screamed as the ladder fell back. Amazingly their fall was cushioned by the angry mob. But the down side was that the ladder had them pinned. Another wave of Ganados appeared and quickly pushed the ladder off the three men. Rough hands grabbed the three and began pulling their limbs and hitting the guys with great force.

The torcher stopped when the crowd began to chant over and over die in their Spanish language. The men looked up as the crowd parted, revealing not one, but two chainsaw maniacs. Luis cursed vehemently as the two lifted their blades and roared. The crowd went crazy with blood lust as the two Ganados charged.

Chris threw a flash grenade he had sneakly brought out. Leon and Luis closed their eyes, trying to block out the bright flsh as the grenade went off. Cries of pain was heard, well barely. One of the effects of being to close to a flash grenade is a sudden loss of sight and hearing temporarily.

Chris signaled with his hands to the other two to follow him. They quickly ran up to the mine door only to find it locked. Chris cursed as he popunded the door. He felt Leon tapping his shoulder, trying to catch his attention. He turned around and gasped.

Luis was running back to the enemy infested area. He stopped when nearing the door and entered the rocky formation. The villagers were starting to come out of their stupor, which didn't give their friend much time.

Leon and Chris took out their shotguns and ran back. They stood by the rocky formation and began to fire, giving Luis more time to search for the key. They had to switch back and forth between the shotguns and the grenades to thin out the mob of villagers.

It was dirty work. Parasites began bursting through while the chainsaw men kept getting up from each blast. While one would reload, the other would use a grenade. Soon, they were empty on the grenades.

"Luis! Find the d-mn key already," Leon shouted as he blasted yet onther parasite away. Luis appeared from behind and smiled.

"I got it! Let's go," Luis yelled.

The two men ran after him, hoping to get out of there alive. Luis quickly used the key and opened the thick metal door. They ran insde and slammed the door shut. Luis quickly locked it just in time as the sound of screams of outrage was heard on the other side of the door.

"That was insane," Chris said between pants.

"And it gets worse from here on out," Leon predicted.

"Leon, stop jinxing us," Chris exclaimed. Leon gave the guys a 'what-did-I-say?' look. They merely ignored him and continued on.

The next leg of their journey seemed simple enough. They went through another tunnel and wound up in another chamber. Two torches lit the small room brightly, revealing a crypt to their right next to the wall. Rubble and broken bricks littered the floor.

"Finaly, a place where peace and quiet reigns," Luis murmered.

Of course Luis was wrong. Bars slammed down over the doors behind them and in front. Spikes decended from the ceiling as the roof began to lower. And to top it off, a full grown parasite leaped from the earth, spraying dry dust in Chris's eyes.

"Ahh! Son-of a-," Chris said when Leon interupted his angry outburst.

"Stop complaining and start shooting," Leon ordered as he began to fire at the nimble parasite. It took Chris a few seconds before he helped Leon in destroying the little creature. Luis was busy helping by shooting the four red lights in the ceiling.

It didn't take long to stop the trap and kill the lone parasite. When done, the bars lifted with a few groans from the gears. The men left the chamber as if they were leaving the spa. At this point, traps seemed like an every day occurrence. Well, the small ones anyway.

Their next stop was the dreaded mine ride. If you have played the game, you should know that this will not be any ordinary ride. Expect the unexpected in the Resident Evil world.

"Look on the bright side. At least we don't have to walk," Leon said. The others didn't seem so confident.

They quickly got into the caboose, Leon and Chris moved into the next one while Luis stayed in the last cart. Leon then climbed into the front cart, leaving Chris in the middle. Leon signaled the others that three Ganados were ahead on a wooden ledge in the mine.

Leon brought out his TMP while Chris holstered the handgun and brought out his Riot gun. Luis preferred to use his Red-nine.

"Everyone ready?" Leon asked.

"Ready," Chris and Luis answered together.

"Good. Chris, flip the switch," Leon ordered as he taised his TMP.

Chris nodded and held the Riot gun with one hand while bringing his handgun out. He fired, the bullet flipping the lever on the platform. He smiled as the carts jerked forward. With a twirl to show off Chris holstered his gun, barely hearing Luis's snort.

The villagers heard the shot, but surprisingly they didn't do much. They watched with confused expressions as the carts headed their way. A short teen Ganado noticed a red dot pointed at the man beside him. His eyes widened as it clicked at what is about to happen.

He yelled, but the older Ganado didn't know what to think. Leon fired the TMP, stunning all three villagers. They fell from their post and were killed as the mine carts ran over them.

As the mine cart picked up the pace, so did Leon. The sound of his TMP echoed down the mine as he mowed down the villagers on the wooden ledges. Few escaped his bullets. The ones who jumped into the rail carts met a messy end by Chris's Riot gun.

Leon would call out when he saw a few boards barring an entrance. The three immediately would hit the deck, dodging a very painful and possible death. But their good luck seemed to change.

They soon found themselves out of the tunnel and rapidly approaching what looked almost like a train stop. Large wooden structures were on both sides of the track. And waiting for them were several villagers, hungry for revenge.

The mine carts slowed down and came to a complete stop. Then the invasion began. Among the villagers was yet another chainsaw maniac with the beloved potato sack over his pasty features. Not very original.

While the three men fought, one Ganado watched on with glee. His job was to make sure that nobody messed with the lever. That way, they could finally kill the American intruders and their friend, Luis.

The Ganado's grin turned into a frown. His fellow country men were dying left and right. It seemed that they have underestimated the three humans. Even the mighty Ganado with the chainsaw was put down. Plus their numbers were dwindling.

He may have not been the smartest person in his village, but he still had the 'live to fight another day' frame of mind. So when he realized that he was the only villager left, he turned tail and ran. He heard the mine carts start behind him, causing him to run faster.

But his efforts were in vain. The mine carts caught up with him and ran over his flabby body. The men grimaced when hearing the sounds of his body being squished and torn up by the wheels.

As more ledges appeared, Leon would fire his TMP. Some Ganados would jump off the platform right in front of the rail cart just by hearing the TMP. Not very smart but then again these people did lose alot of their thinking power when the parasites got a hold of their minds.

Although Luis was happy they were winning, he did notice a change as they passed the ledges faster and faster. This didn't bode well. If the cart went any faster, then they could derail and have a serious accident.

Luis quickly climbed into the next cart with Chris. But he soon wish he hadn't when another villager with a chainsaw jumped into the cart with them.

Chris yelled as he bravely grabbed the collar of the maniac and gave a hard head butt. The villager grunted and fell backwards out of the cart.

"Yeah! Now that's how it's done," Chris said with pride.

"Guys! Get up here now," Leon yelled as the rail carts began to jerk violently.

Chris and Luis quickly climbed up front, nearly getting knocked out by the low boards in the mine. Soon, they were out in the open and going way too fast on a curve. They had to hold on to the sides to just stay in the front cart. The men screamed like girls without shame.

It was the wildest ride in their life. Even wilder than the giant fish creature back at the lake. There was no way of stopping or going back.

Faster and faster they went till they literally vibrated from the mine cart going out of control. Their hearts sunk when seeing the the tracks ended a little ways up ahead. Gravity wouldn't allow the mine carts to make the jump across the long gap.

"This is the mine ride from hell," Chris screamed as they quickly approached the gap.

The carts were suddenly in mid air. The guys jumped, hands out stretched. Leon and Chris grabbed the ledge, hanging on for dear life. Luis didn't make it. Okay, he did. But not to the ledge. He had grabbed Chris's waist and looped his arms around him. This put a lot of stress on Chris's arms.

Leon quickly climbed up and helped Luis by reaching over Chris's form and helping the Spaniard climb up over Chris's body. Then he helped his old friend up on the ledge. Needless to say that the trio had to lay down and rest from their way too near death experience.

"I'm scarred for life. I'll probably never go on another roller coaster ride," Leon said slowly.

"Oh come on. It wasn't that bad," Chris replied.

Luis and Leon gave a dirty glare to the calm man. Chris gave the two an innocent look.

"What?"

"This is coming from the man who screamed that the ride was from hell," Leon said while making himself get up. Luis agreed with Leon and gave Chris another glare.

"Hey, I didn't scream. It was more like a... fun yell and... uh... You guys screamed too," Chris quickly said.

Leon and Luis laughed and goaded the broody older man as they continued on. Chris eventually joined the laughter. Their unusual happy mood got happier when they entered the last chamber. The Lions sacrifice emblem sat on a small pedestal, giving them an extra boost in their step.

"Boys, we did it. Now let's leave and kick some Ganado butt," Chris said excitedly.

And with that said, the trio left the dig sight for good. But as you know, their journey will not be easy. Yes, they were very close to rescuing the girls, but they have yet faced Robo-Salazar. I will have to write that little adventure in the next chapter instead of this one. Ain't I a stinker?

* * *

**Author's Note**: And that's that. Sorry for my long, long, long, long, absence. Between internet problems, lightning screwing up my phone line and computer, and spending time with my family, I haven't been able to work on this fic like I wanted to. Hopefully, life will slow down and get back to normal here. What's so annoying is that I had a good chunk of this chapter done a while ago but for some reason it kept erasing on my PC. So again, I would like to apologize for the delay.

On another note, the polls for the fate of Luis has been closed. Will Luis die or live? Find out by sticking with this fic! Muah! Ha! Ha! Haaaa!


	33. Chapter 32: Pride Goes Before the Fall

**A/N: **Wow. We're almost through the castle! Maybe the characters can now catch a break... Ha! Haaaa! Yeah right! You fans know me by now that things will only get creepier and crazier. So, in the spirirt of Resident Evil, read on and watch out for those El Gigantes!

Also, read the Author's Note at the end. I have another poll set up for you Res fans. So remember, before you review read the Author's Note if you want to decide what's next for the characters!

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality **

**Chapter 32: Pride Goes Before the Fall**

The temple was quiet, seemingly empty. But the men didn't believe what they saw. The deserted places were usually the most dangerous.

They couldn't hold back the disgust when their eyes fell upon the giant statue of their Nemesis, Ramon Salazar. Truth be told, they were expecting something that worshipped Saddler. Even Luis seemed surprised.

"Wow. Seems the little guy worships himself a little more than he does Saddler," said Chris. The others nodded in agreement.

"Ramon has always been full of himself as long as I've known him. I just never expected this," Luis said while looking up and down.

"Pride goes before the fall," Leon commented. Leon doesn't know how really ironic his statement is.

The men turned around and began to approach the bridge when the sound of shouting and jingling chains was heard. The red monk and many fellow monks flipped the two levers, causing the bridge to split into two different sections and to sink down into the water.

"Now what?," Leon spat out.

**_R_**

_Where is my heroes when I need them? I mean yeah, Leon doesn't rescue Ashley till the island. But that was when he was alone. Now, he has Chris and Luis with him. They're a team and as a team they are supposed to work quicker! Oh crap, he's about to open his mouth again. Lord, take me now!_

Sheila sighed as Salazar stood in front of the elevator, ready to deliver another speech on how America is inferior and blah, blah, blah! There is only so much a person can stand when someone else is talking bad about the country you were born and raised in. Frankly, she was ready to kick him in the family jewels if he didn't shut-up.

"Yes! We're almost there, my dears. Soon, you will see why your country can not compare to the might of the Las Illuminados. But that will not matter when Lord Saddler has set up lordship over the earth and make it into the new Edan!"

Ashley began to tear up and shake uncontrollably. Sheila had pity on her and sighed, not bothering to remark on her state of fright. It would be hypercritical of her to do so when she was just as scared.

She tuned out the Castellan and began to look around. She remembered this part of the game very well. Avoiding the barrels that would come crashing down the stairs was fun and exciting. But she could imagine how scary and dangerous it will be for Leon and the others in the real world.

"Soon, you will go up and become officially part of Lord Saddler's family! You have been given quite the privilege tonight. Not just anybody is taken up to meet the fruitful one. She will be most pleased with what is growing inside of you."

At the moment, Sheila wished that she had control of the barrels right then. A funny picture of Ramon and his body guard running up the stairs to recapture her came to mind. In it, she pulled the switch over and over, causing the barrels to come down quickly and run over the two. Her face lit up at the thought. Salazar mistakenly took it as her enthusiasm to become part of the cult.

"Aah. I see you have finally warmed up to the idea! It must be your parasite. Oh how strong your little queen will be as she matures," Salazar commented dreamily.

Claire and Ashley looked at her with shock. Sheila's eyes widened as she realised what they were thinking. She was kinda hurt that they would entertain the thought.

"The stubborn mule seems to have excepted her fate. Will not the two of you except yours?"

"Never," screamed Ashley.

"I would rather kiss Alfred Ashford while he's dressed in drag. That should tell you something," Claire said passionately.

Salazar and Ashley didn't know who Alfred was. Sheila was the only one who very much knew the intimate details of Claire and Alfred's meeting. Play Code Veronica to know that cool tale.

"That is not a very wise thing to say, ladies. You could make me angry," Ramon said sarcastically. Then, he slowly stalked forward towards Claire. His eyes glowed as he gave her one more chance to spill the beans.

"If you tell me your name and who you work for, I will make sure to tell Lord Saddler of your obedience."

"Hmm. Let me think... How about no. Yup! That's my name. And I work for the company called, 'Go jump in a river'," Claire answered with a smirk.

"Hmph! So you're just as stubborn as a mule! It doesn't matter one way or another. You will be talking no less than twenty-four hours from now. Because just in a few minutes, you'll be unfortunately blessed with the parasite."

Claire opened her mouth to respond when suddenly, the doors were flung open. A monk dressed in a black robe stood there panting. His red eyes were wide with fright from whatever he just experienced. His clothes were wet from his own blood from the numerous bullet wounds he had received.

"Oh favored one of our beloved Lord Saddler! I have horrible news," the monk cried out in Spanish. He quickly stumbled forward till he was at the feet of the uncaring young man.

"Well... Spit it out," Salazar ordered.

"The Americans have breached your temple. Our lines tried to crush the intruders, but they were heavily armed and were successful in killing all of the men," the Ganado wailed.

Though the women didn't know much Spanish, the word 'Americano' caught their attention. Was the guys finally here?

Ramon back handed the monk, causing the man's neck to break. The Ganado quickly disintegrated before their eyes as Salazar began to make preparations. Sheila shivered as the orders were given.

"Hurry! Take the wenches up and prepare them for the ritual," Ramon said while pointing at two red robed monks.

They quickly nodded and began to push the girls into the elevator. Sheila struggled half heartily, knowing that there was no way out. For now, they were going to meet a queen parasite in the flesh.

"While the ladies are being escorted to the chamber, I want the rest of you to prepare for an assault. Though it is highly unlikely that our guests will survive the temple's security system," Salazar chuckled. His eyes gleamed by just thinking about Robo-Salazar.

**R**

"I think that's all of them," Leon commented as he pulled the last lever. The sound of the other half of the bridge raising was like music to his ears.

"We're going to have trouble," Luis remarked as Leon rejoined them at the foot of Robo-Salazar. The two men gave him a curious glance.

"During the fight, I saw two Ganados swim across. I tried to kill them, but only succeeded half way. One escaped while the other put a lock on the door just before he died. So, like I said, we're going to have trouble on the other side," Luis explained.

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Chris said as he took the first step forward.

Unknown at the moment, Robo-Salazar's security system just came on line. It detected three unknown strangers. Since the robot was programmed to attack unknown bystanders, the machine geared up for the attack.

When the men were about six feet away from the feet, Robo-Salazar came alive. The ground and building shook as the giant statue broke away from its confinements. Rocks and pieces of the ceiling came crashing down all around them.

"Run!," Chris yelled as he fled. Leon joined him by his side while Luis had a bit of a late start. He barely missed getting squished from Robo-Salazar's large stone feet.

Hearts were pounding while adrenaline was kicked into high gear. The horrible loud sound of the robot behind them was all that could be heard from miles around. It almost sounded and felt like a earthquake.

Luis looked over his shoulder for a split second. This saved all of their lives. For at that moment, he saw the left pillar fall.

"Run faster, Americanos!"

Luis quickly joined the two and pointed behind him. Chris yelped and ordered them to roll. They did, barely missing an early death. They ignored the rubble and continued.

Before they knew it, the right pillar came crashing down. They easily dodged it and continued with their escape. Robo-Salazar was starting to gain on them.

But their next obstacle was a bigger challenge. Two pillars came crashing down together. The trio was unprepared for this and only noticed it at the last second. They jumped in different directions as the pillars crashed on the bridge.

Dust filled the air, choking Leon as he stood up. His eyes widened as Robo-Salazar raised one foot to crush them. Leon shouted a warning as he backed away.

Chris's eyes opened to see the exact same foot raised right over him. He couldn't hardly move as fear paralyzed him. Luis quickly grabbed the older man and pulled him out of harms way.

The foot came crashing down, causing the bridge to crack and break apart. Chris shook out of his daze and soon followed Leon and Luis to the door. When seeing the large padlock, Chris grabbed his handgun and fired once, breaking the lock into pieces.

Leon kicked it opened and ran out, followed by Luis and Chris. None able to voice an opionion on this crazy situation. Chris stopped long enough to close the door, though the action was for nothing. But give the guy a break, his mind was still thawing from the close encounter of death's cold grip.

The men stopped almost half way after feeling no more vibrations. Did the giant stop when seeing its prey was gone? The bridge began to quake, answering their silent question. The entire back wall seemingly blew up as Robo-Salazar punched and kicked his way through the barrior. Large pieces of the wall fell at all sides of the men as they ran.

Getting a itching feeling at the back of his head, Luis decided to have another peek behind him. His heart seemed to stop when seeing that the bridge began to give away. Robo-Salazar began to trip, then fall as the bridge crumbled apart.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!," screamed Luis as he burst into a new speed. Chris and Leon barely noticed as Luis passed them in a blurry of motion.

As the statue fell down, its fall had an impact on the bridge further up. It cracked and crumpled as the men ran. Leon and Chris could feel the ground underneath their feet give way, leaving them no option but to jump.

Soon, their feet found only air as they reached for the ledge. Both men caught it, too tired to move as Robo-Salazar fell down far below. There was a slight sound as the statue met the ground, telling them that it was a long, long, long way down and no chance for survival.

"Chris... Are... you okay?"

Chris's face was red and glistening with sweat as he barely hung on to the stone bridge. He shook his head, too strained to speak.

Leon tried to lift himself up, but the ledge where he was holding on was starting to crumble. He began to panic as he kept grabbing on to loose rubble which kept falling apart. Luckily, Luis was still alive and was far ahead of them when Robo-Salazar fell.

The Spaniard reached down and grabbed Leon's arms and pulled. With some hard effort, he succeeded in rescuing the blue eyed man. Both laid back, breathing heavily.

"Um, I'm not trying to be a bother, but... could somebody please help!"

Luis quickly sat up and lent a hand to Chris. Chris excepted it gratefully and was soon safely back on the bridge. He gave the two men a angry look.

"What took you so long," Chris asked hoarsely.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I mean!"

Leon rubbed his aching head as the two began to bicker yet again. He was tired, his limbs felt like jello and his broken ribs were protesting very loudly when he moved. The arguing wasn't what he needed at the moment.

"Will you two shut-up for one minute!"

Chris and Luis stopped their name calling and looked at Leon with surprise. It was a moment where a awkward silence had settled in. Then a twinkle appeared in Chris's eyes.

"Some people just can't handle the pressure, Luis," Chris said while shaking his head.

"Si. Not like us, me amigo. It takes great strength and courage to be like us. We're a dying breed."

Chris shook his head. "Too true, friend. Too true."

"You two are hopeless," Leon commented as he forced his body to stand up.

"Don't worry Leon! We'll teach you the tricks on being a real man," Chris said as Leon began to stiffly walk away.

"Si! We'll make you into a manly man!"

"A manly man-man."

"That's a scary thought," Leon said in response. A smile slowly crept up across his face.

"Hey, he's leaving us. Let's go," Luis said quickly as he leaped up. He instantly wished he hadn't as his muscles screamed bloody murder.

"Luis, help me up," groaned Chris as he stretched out his hand. Luis shook his head.

"No. You're heavy. Get up on your own."

Chris paused. "Are you saying... that I'm over weight? Ah-ha!"

"Ah-ha? What does ah-ha mean?"

"It means that I know why you left me for last! You admitted it just now," Chris said triumphantly. Luis looked more confused than ever while Leon stopped and groaned.

"Admitted what?"

"That you think I'm hefty!"

"No I don't! I'm just-" Luis began to say before Chris cut him off.

"Nope. It's no use in denying it. I never thought that you were such a prejudice guy," Chris said disapprovingly.

Luis broke out into a string of Spanish curses as he snatched Chris's arm and jerked the older man to his feet. Chris grunted in discomfort but at the same time he looked like he had swallowed the canary. Leon shook his head at the whole thing.

"Thanks, Luis. That was very kind of you to help me up," Chris said while patting the Spaniard on the back.

Luis realized that he was just played. He watched as the confident man strutted forward, ignoring Luis's silent seething. It was very amusing to the agent.

"If you two are finished, I would like to discuss our next plan of action," Leon said as he waited for Luis to catch up.

"Sure, I'm game," Chris said. He became serious quickly as Luis trotted over.

"All of us know that no matter where we go or who we face, a trap is waiting for us. So, I'm suggesting that we study the map before we continue on," Leon suggested.

The two men agreed. Leon quickly brought out the map of the castle and showed it to the guys. There was some questions for Luis about the rooms up ahead.

"The last place is this tower. There is an elevator and a staircase leading up. All I know about this tower is that the elevator leads straight to the top while the staircase leads to a platform that will also take you to the top. The tower is under construction which means that the staircase will be blocked on a certain level. Other than that, I have no idea what is beyond that."

"Really? What about the room on the top floor," Chris asked.

Luis shook his head. "That room was off limits long ago. Apparently it was ruined a long time ago, but if Salazar is taking the girls up there, then it can't be good."

"Okay. So all we know is that the next step will be full of surprises. Everyone cool with that?," asked Leon.

"Si," Luis answered with a bit of dread in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm cool with it," Chris responded nonchalantly.

"Then let's go," Leon ordered.

**R**

Salazar tapped his foot impatiently. It had been five minutes since he heard the sounds of the intruders being chased by Robo-Salazar. He had hoped at first that it was due to his robot being successful in killing the intruders. But from what he has learned so far about his enemies, they had an unusual knack for survival.

"You, check on the progress of our guests," Ramon commanded.

The monk wasn't so sure if that was a good idea. Word had spread on the three who brought death to all who had imposed them. But he was a true fanatic who was under complete control by Saddler and his puppet, Salazar. So without question, the Ganado obeyed the order.

With great caution, the monk creaked opened the right door and stuck out his head. A shot rung out. The Ganado's head exploded, killing the monk and his parasite instantly.

Salazar frowned as the double doors were kicked opened. There stood Leon and his two partners, guns drawn and pointed at Salazar. The young man raised his hands and slowly clapped.

"Well done, gentlemen. I can't tell you how nice it is to see you three again."

"You again," Leon muttered as he holstered his gun. Salazar raised an eyebrow, amazed at how confident the agent was. That or he was not as bright as he gave him credit for.

"This sacred right that is about to begin in this tower will endow the girls with magnificent power. They will join us. Become one of us! As for the oldest one, well, she will be joining our family very soon as well."

"You touch one hair on their heads, and I'll be sending you to see the rest of your dead family in hell," Chris warned. Luis put a comforting hand on his shoulder and held him back from doing anything stupid.

"This isn't a ritual. It's terrorism," Leon said with conviction. Meanwhile, he was slowly reaching for his combat knife.

"Isn't that a popular word these days. But don't worry, we have a special ritual prepared for you and your friends," Salazar said as he lifted his hand to point at the elevator.

In a blink of an eye, Leon threw his knife. The blade made it's mark and embedded itself in Ramon's hand, pinning him to the wood of the old elevator. Salazar looked at his hand, seemingly in shock. Whimpers escaped his mouth as blood began to drip from his injured hand. The whimpers turned into tears and pained filled cries.

Leon smirked while the other two patted him on the back. The Verdugo became enraged at the sight of his master in pain. The creature grabbed the handle of the blade and yanked it out of the wall and Salazar's hand.

In a flash, the bodyguard sent the knife back. Leon barely dodged it in time as the blade went past his face. Luis, who was standing behind him, some how got a lock of his hair sliced off. His soft hair fell down to the ground.

Leon and Chris were distracted long enough for Salazar and his trusty body guard to escape in the elevator. The men ran up to the elevator and watched the two slowly rise up. Ramon's cries of pain could be heard all the way up.

**R**

Sheila prayed like she has never prayed before. For as you know, her and the other two women were now in the tower being prepped for the cult's ritual. The game never showed what happened to Ashley while Leon fought his way to the top of the tower. And now here she was, about to experience it in person.

The smell was something she never smelled before, nor could she explain it. It was just there, sweet yet it had a rotten egg smell. But the smell was nothing compared to what she saw.

The parasite was immense! It's slimy body covered the round walls, part of the floor, and the crumbling roof. It reminded her of a vine. A big, slimy, evil vine. And no weed wacker was going to work on this... thing.

"We're going to die! I don't care what that little man said, we are going to die," Ashley wailed.

Claire tried to calm her down, but the girl was going into hysterics. Nothing could be said that would calm her down. In the end, Claire gave up and remained silent.

The sound of the elevator had the two red robed monks running to and fro. They seemingly were making sure everything was in order. If you didn't know any better, you would think that the pope was coming up for a visit.

When the elevator reached it's destination, everyone thought that Salazar's evil laughter would fill the air. But instead, whimpers were heard. They waited patiently as Ramon and his bodyguard stepped out of the elevator, next to the front entrance.

It was clear that the castle Castellan had been crying. The evidence son his face revealed the trail of dried tears. Even Ashley stopped her blubbering as Salazar made his way to the alter.

Sheila noticed a blood stained handkerchief tied around his hand. She smiled, knowing that her favorite Resident Evil men were finally here. (Don't worry Wesker, Steve and Carlos. I still have a special place reserved for you three!)

"Looks like you've run into some trouble. What's the matter? Did Leon teach you a lesson," Sheila cooed.

Salazar froze. The two women gave Sheila an angry look. The girl shrugged and pretended not to care. But the truth was that she regretted it the moment it left her mouth. stupid mouth. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!

Ramon slowly turned around as he stood in front of the alter. His small fists were clenched so tightly that the wound that had already began to heal, reopened. Sheila gulped as a current of different emotions washed over his face.

"It's time for your next lesson, girlie!"

Ramon reached one hand forward, his face held tight in a sneer as his eyes glowed red. Sheila screamed and collapsed, clutching her abdomen.

The parasite within her began to struggle violently, touching certain nerve endings to cause pain. The burning sensation added with the lack of air made it feel like she was having a heart attack. She could barely hear Claire beg on her behalf. Even Ashley pitched in.

Suddenly, the parasite stopped. Sheila couldn't move. Her body was weak and tired. All she wanted was to do was to wake up from this living nightmare. She was tired of this twist in reality and longed for her normal, boring life.

"This is a waste of time. Why should I be offended with what you have to say when soon, you'll be officially part of the Las Illuminados!"

Salazar turned around and began to chant. The monks joined his chant and began to bow down to the giant monster. Sheila shivered as the feeling of evil swept inside the room. Despite her weakened state, the teen began to pray for herself and her friends. A peace flooded her soul, giving her strength and a clear mind.

Without any help, the teen stood up and watched the scene unfold. Salazar stood before the evil alter and raised his pale hands up toward the giant parasite. Small tentacles came out of his finger tips, waving back and forth as a large pod came down to Ramon's level. It slowly quivered as the flower like petals parted. Jagged teeth lined the outside of the petals, glistening with slime and acidly juices.

Ramon lifted his hurt hand, his tiny tentacles still swaying back and forth. Some drops of blood fell down on the petal, causing a groan to escape from the plant like parasite. Ashley whimpered and tried to back away, but the Verdugo refused to let her budge.

Ramon slowly turned around and ordered for Ashley to be brought up first. The Verdugo obliged and dragged Ashley to the alter where Salazar was standing. Tears were streaming down her face as the tall creature cut the rope that bound her wrists. Ramon grabbed her hands and held them palm up.

"Do not be frightened, Ashley. For tonight you have entered here the child of an American dog. But you shall leave this tower a queen among men and be part of history in the making!"

"B-B-But I just want to be Ashley Graham. The President's daughter," Ashley said defiantly. Ramon's face showed his amusement.

"Soon, you will feel different," Salazar remarked with passion.

Then very quickly, Salazar's tentacles pierced Ashley's palms. Ashley cried out in pain, barely noticing as Salazar forced her hands in the open mouth of the queen parasite. Ashley's blood flowed down, coating the teeth red.

Salazar then pulled her hands back as the pod closed. Ashley felt like she was going to faint as the parasite seemed to shiver with pleasure.

"Yes! That is a queen parasite you taste in this unworthy girl's blood! Please, except this one into our family, my dear. For the Great Lord Saddler needs her in his plan to recreate this world."

The pod paused before reopening it's mouth. This time, several tentacles slid out and wrapped themselves around Ashley. A blood curdling scream tore from her mouth as she was lifted into the pod. The petals closed, muffling the screams.

Claire felt powerless as she watched the ritual. The feeling of uselessness filled her heart as the freak show went on. She couldn't help but wander if her guys would ever come and rescue them.

For what seemed like hours (it only lasted five minutes) the pod finally opened and carefully lowered the woman as if she was a new born baby. Claire and Sheila gasped when seeing Ashley's red eyes. But most of all, her appearance seemed the most unsettling. She was covered from head to toe with a purple slime.

Her face was serene as she repeated what the monks were chanting. It seemed that the slimy substance did not bother her at the moment. The two monks stood up from their kneeling positions and led her back to the girls.

Salazar pointed at Sheila, smiling at the flicker of fear in her eyes. She felt the Verdugo push her, urging her to go forward. She refused.

The body guard dragged her like he did Ashley. Sheila refused to cry in front of the smug evil man. Instead, she concentrated on the peace she felt deep down.

The monster cut the rope that bound her hands behind her back, allowing the blood circulation to return to her tender wrists. But Salazar didn't give her time to enjoy the sudden freedom. He quickly jerked her hands forward with her palms up.

"Young one, I want to introduce someone very special. Meet the love of my life."

Sheila blanched. Was this guy serious? She peeked at the gross entity beside her. When she thought about it, in a way it did make since that the little weirdo would find this thing attractive.

"This beautiful queen was once human. When Lord Saddler shown me the error of my ways, my love tried to stop Lord Saddler's plan. I captured her and handed her over to Lord Saddler. He had pity on her and decided that she will benefit the cause more if she was alive than dead."

The Castellan stopped and gave the monstrosity a loving glance. Sheila felt like puking then and there.

"Not only was she injected with a queen parasite, but we also added a special ingredient. A sample taken from Raccoon City fell in our hands four years ago. It came from a plant of all things. Lord Saddler thought it best to use it on my dear, Amelia," Salazar said in a low whisper.

Sheila gasped. A sudden flash back of a certain scene in the game with Luis and Leon talking flashed through her mind. Certain puzzle pieces began to come together.

While Sheila was pondering the ramifications of this, Salazar quickly pierced her palms with his sharp tentacles. The eight-teen year old yelled as Ramon twisted his tentacles a little deeper than he did Ashley. She closed her eyes and tried to think of anything other than the pain.

"So you see, my dear. I will not let anyone stand in the way of Lord Saddler's vision. Not even those who I love," Salazar said cruelly.

Then his tentacles left her palm, giving the girl some relief. She opened her eyes when Ramon forced her hands in the creatures mouth. (Or whatever it is.)

Her crimson blood trailed down her hand fluently. Sheila gagged as the stench of rotten eggs filled her nostrils from the queen parasite. But what had to be the worst of the experience was that the creature seemed to drool even more as her blood coated the lower petal of the parasite's open pod.

Then, just as before Salazar pulled her hands back as the pod closed. The smell of rotten eggs lessened somewhat as the creature raised itself up.

"Unfortunately, Lord Saddler blessed this one with a queen parasite as well. She is unworthy of such a mantle of the Los Illuminados. But it is my Lord's will for this wench to join us in our cause. Embrace this young one and join her with us so that we can put Lord Saddler's plan to action!"

The parasite's response was immediate. She lowered her numerous tentacles and wrapped them around Sheila's body. The feel of the slimy but firm grip around most of her body made her scream as she was raised up high into the opened pod.

Then the petals closed, surrounding her in darkness. Sheila tried struggling, but the tentacles only tightened their slimy grip. Feelings of unbelief and anger at her circumstances bubbled up within her. Why was this happening to her?

Her feelings quickly changed when the pod began to fill up with a watery murky substance. Panic set in, causing her to breath erratically. As the liquid filled the pod, her screams rang out without shame. Thoughts of what she wished she had done with her life brought deep regret. She will never get to go to college or marry and have kids. Or get to grow old and enjoy her golden years by hitting whipper snappers with her cane!

Hot tears ran down her cheeks as the liquid reached her collar bone. If only she had more time to tell her family how much she loved them. She would even hug her annoying brother in-law.

Sheila closed her eyes as the liquid reached her chin. She wondered if she should hold her breath or just give up and drown quickly. At any rate, she would drown anyway, so why fight? Besides, the pod was so hot that breathing was very difficult.

The murky liquid was now up to her mouth, causing her to swallow the disgusting watery substance. She gagged and tried to spit the liquid out. The teen raised her head up, trying to avoid the inevitable as much as possible.

The sound of Claire's muffled shouts reached Sheila's ears. She had no idea what Claire was saying, but just hearing her voice comforted her. Deciding to fight, Sheila took two deep breaths just before the liquid over took her.

Claire's voice was no longer heard now that Sheila was completely submerged in the warm liquid. Slowly, she opened her eyes and waited. Maybe if she stayed as still as possible, the creature would think she was dead and would spit her out.

But it seemed that the queen was not fooled by her act. The tentacles began to squeeze her tighter and tighter. Sheila shook her head as she fought to hold her breath a little longer. Her chest began to feel weak as the tentacles would not relent in their mission.

A full minute went by. Sheila was fighting a battle that was already lost. Her lungs were burning from lack of air, causing the parasite to struggle within her. Her head throbbed as her chest constricted. The queen won. Sheila opened her mouth to gasp for air, knowing that only the gooey liquid would be filling her desperate lungs.

Fluid rushed inside her lungs, stomach and nose. Fear and the natural instinct to survive kicked in, causing the teen to thrash out chaotically. She squeezed her eyes shut as if waiting for the drowning sensation to come to an end.

Strangely, the feeling slowly melted away as her body adjusted to the strange liquid. Sheila opened her eyes and began to breath in the water. What was this and why was she able to breath in this liquid?

Suddenly, her chest twitched as the parasite within her began to stir. Sheila shook her head violently as she tried to hold her breath again. But it was too late. The purple liquid she had basically breathed in was giving the parasite control over her body. Without her permission, her mouth opened and inhaled the liquid as if it was a fresh breath of air.

_No! This can't be happening. I have my free will. So I say body, you can't give in to the parasite!... Lord Saddler? What the? No, he's not my lord! Saddler... sucks. Stop... it! Can't... think... clearly. Feeling woozy... Must fight_.

But despite Sheila's efforts, her body surrendered to the parasite's control. It seemed to revel in the liquid, moving back and forth within her chest cavity. Her eyes began to burn as well as her throat. Soon, her mouth began to mouth those dreaded words. Lord Saddler.

Ten minutes passed as Sheila sat in the liquid, seemingly hypnotised. Her mind seemed to have gone bye-bye as she seemingly enjoyed the warm sticky liquid. Then, quickly the liquid drained. Her muted words earlier now was vocal and low.

"Lord Saddler... Lord Saddler."

The pod opened it's mouth and gently lowered her back down unto the alter. Sheila saw Salazar looking at her with rapture. Though she wanted to punch and kick him for letting his girlfriend slime her, the parasite still had complete control over her motor functions.

Sheila felt horror as she began to chant the popular cult phrase in Spanish. 'To Die Is To Live." She shuddered as the monks led her down to stand by Ashley. Both girls chanted in a mono tone as Ramon pointed at Claire.

"You are next. Come, bring the intruder."

Claire kicked and tried to bite the large creature as he dragged her to the alter. Her attempts were in vain and merely caused a grunt from the monstrosity. Salazar found it all amusing.

"And here we are. Since you are not part of us, I can't let the queen officially welcome you into our family. But, my Lord Saddler wants you to join us. So, we're going to bestow you with our power. You won't have a queen inside you though, or even a drone like I have. Instead, you will become a Ganado."

"It doesn't matter. The guys are on their way. And when they get here, you and your stupid queen is as good as dead!"

Ramon smiled. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You should really learn to keep a better hold of that temper, my dear."

Ramon then nodded at his bodyguard who lifted her up on the alter and forced her to lie down. Claire struggled, but nothing she did could help her now. The queen opened it's mouth and lowered one slimy tentacle down. Claire noticed a tiny bony spike protruded from the tentacle. Purple slime dripped from the spike.

The feel of Salazar smoothing her bangs away from her eyes made her flinch. His hands were gentle, just like a mother would do if her child had just woken up from a nightmare. It seemed so surreal to the older woman.

Salazar began to chant rapidly in his native tongue as the tentacle lowered down to her neck. Claire felt her eyes fill up as she looked up. She knew that her brother would never stop looking for them, but that didn't bring her comfort at the moment.

Claire screamed with pain as the tentacle punctured her neck. To her horror, she felt something inject inside her neck, followed by the feeling of hot liquid. Her eyes became heavy. The last thing she heard was the sound of Salazar's laughter.

**R**

Through many hardships and enemies, the three heroes finally reached the top of the tower where the ceremonies were being held. As usual, the merchant was waiting with supplies to sell. His blue torches cast a eerie blue glow on their tired faces.

"Well strangers, you've made it to the top alive. But can you leave the tower alive and in one piece, hmm? Heh, Heh! What are ya buying?"

The men bought some first aid sprays, flash grenades along with the other two types and ammo for their guns. After selling some of their jewels and the king's rod, the men began asking questions on what could lay ahead.

"This is the ceremonial room where the elite is officially joined in the cult. They hold a ritual that is surrounded by secrets. I'm not sure exactly what goes on in there, but I do know this. Those who are not in the elite circle and are enemies of Saddler and dare to go in, never come back out."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," Leon said.

"This does not sound safe," Luis remarked.

"Yeah, but what other choice do we have? The girls are counting on us."

"Si, I know. What powerful weaponry do we have to face what could be lying in wait for us?"

"I got my Striker, Sniper Rifle, Blacktail, grenades and my TMP. You?"

"Well, I got that Mine thrower, Broken Butterfly, some grenades and my Rednine."

"Ooo! Stranger, tell me that you're willing to sell that!"

Leon and Luis stopped their conversation to have a look at Chris. He stood there proudly, wearing the Salazar family crown. It's jewels and gold glittered from the merchant's blue torch lights.

"Chris, what exactly are you doing," Leon asked slowly.

"You dared me to wear this crown the next time we meet Salazar."

"Yeah, but we already saw the little guy. Remember?"

"That one didn't count. We were surprised by the little midget last time. This time, I'm prepared."

"Getting back to the topic at hand. What weapons do you have in your case, Chris," Luis asked with some impatience.

Chris smiled as he unstrapped his case and opened it. Leon and Luis leaned in to take a closer look.

"I have some grenades, my sniper rifle, handgun, and... my stinger rocket launcher!"

Leon and Luis opened their mouths in awe. Chris neglected to say that he had a rocket launcher stashed away.

"When did.. Where?"

"I've had this baby since me and Claire arrived here in Spain, thanks to our friendly neighborhood merchant."

Leon glared at the chuckling merchant. "Why didn't you tell us earlier that you were selling these babies?"

"ZombieKiller orderd this fine weapon before he arrived. Besides, you never asked."

"Well, do you have any now, amigo," Luis asked .

"No, not at the moment. But hopefully, very soon."

Chris was grinning as he replaced his Riot gun with his Sniper rifle. Then with the up most care, Chris put a strap on his rocket launcher and slung it over his shoulder. That way, he had it at his disposal when needed.

The merchant watched as the trio geared up and slowly opened the heavy wooden doors. He knew that something big was waiting for them on the other side of that door. Frankly, the parasite within him was trying to gain back control due to being near the evil inside. That was a big signal to the merchant to pack his bags and head on to the next selling location.

"Hopefully, the strangers will use the missile on that little terror, Salazar. The little imp deserves a good kick in the arse."

**R**

Leon and the others ran in and stopped when reaching the steps that led up to a alter. Salazar had his back turned to them, not bothering to acknowledge their presence at the moment. He seemed too enthralled with his evil plan.

"You're too late," said Salazar as he turned around. He gave them his trade mark evil smile.

"The ritual is over. You've just missed them. They are on their way with my men to an island."

"What?"

"He! He! He! He! Heee! Sorry to disappoint you three. But sadly, your long heroic trip here is for-Agh!... Is... Is that... my CROWN!

Chris grinned as he tapped the crown on his head. "Oh, this old thing? I guess it was yours. But it's now mine. Oh, and I'd prefer if you refer to me as your majesty from here on out."

"You have mocked me for the last time!"

Salazar quickly turned back around and walked up the steps, his back stiff with his hidden rage. He stopped when he was standing on the alter. When he turned around, all traces of that rage was gone. Instead, a evil glee resonated from him.

"The time has come for retribution. Each one of you have come against lord Saddler and our mission. So, it is my privilege to be the one who teaches you a lesson. Mr. Kennedy, your stubborn will is impressive, but it will not save you or your friends this time."

Salazar raised his hands in the air, smiling upward as slimy tentacles slid down from the open pod. The body guard walked over and stood beside the alter, looking up with the same admiration in his eyes as his masters.

"My enemies... welcome!"

Numerous tentacles rapped themselves around Ramon's tiny body and lifted him up in the air. There was no fear in his eyes as he was taken inside the open pod. In fact, his laughter could be heard as his bodyguard received the same treatment. When he was inside, the pod closed.

Everything was quiet. But that soon ended when a long thick tentacled shot out and smashed the wall behind the men. Then it quickly destroyed the alter. The men covered their eyes as debris fell all around them.

Slowly, they looked up and saw that the long tentacle was in fact a long neck with a face of the bodyguard.

He had the same bottom mandibles, but a further mutation had occurred wih the rest of his face. He had one eye that was way to large for the strange face while the other one was covered with what look like bone. As for a mouth, it didn't seem at the moment to have any.

The center pod grew larger and more menacing. When its flower like petals opened, it revealed a grotesque looking Salazar. His cloths were gone along with his hat. He didn't need them due to how his body had mutated with the queen parasites.

A large throbbing vein was pulsating from his right shoulder to the side of his face. It seemed to mold with his cheek, making him look deformed and unnatural. The only human resemblance he had was his grey hair and the left side of his face.

Salazar opened his mouth and let out a small roar. It wasn't that intimidating. Leon smiled and shook his head.

"Monsters. Guess there will be one less of them when we're done."

The pod quickly closed as two more tentacles shot out. One was twitching on the men's left and one was on the right. That way, the creature could keep the men in one spot, supposedly making them easy targets.

Old one eye stared menacingly at the three. Chris didn't wait to see how it would attack. He immediately set to work blasting the thick tentacle to the right. Meanwhile, Salazar was trying to talk.

"I want you three to feel the same pain as- Ahh!"

Slime and brown blood sprayed across Chris's chest as the tentacle began thrashing around from the damage done to it. Finally, it fell limp and rolled off the ledge.

Leon and Luis worked on one eye. It wasn't easy. The head would move it's head back and forth, keeping it's one good eye from harm. But between Luis and Leon, they eventually began to get some shots in.

The monster growled and howled as the TMP and the magnam's bullets met the slimy eye. The head convulsed, then fell limply as the tentacle earlier did. This revealed Salazar.

Ramon noticed that he was exposed. He tried to close the large deformed petals over himself, but it seemed that if the head was out of it, then the rest of the creature was useless.

Chris aimed his rifle and began to fire while Leon and Luis helped out as well. Salazar raised his fist and cursed them as the bullets sliced through soft tissue.

It seemed that their foe was going to be easy to defeat. Nothing seemed to stand in their way.

After ten seconds of the shooting opportunity, the petal seemed to come to life and close over it's precious cargo. The bullets fired at the pod was useless.

The head shot up, roaring. And both tentacles were both back in action as they pounded the ledge. Leon quickly took care of the right tentacle while Luis used his magnum on the left. This was a mistake.

The head began to split, revealing rows upon rows of sharp jagged teeth. Drool dripped from the creatures large mouth as it widened. It seemed that the whole head was the mouth.

"Dive!" Chris cried out.

Chris and Leon quickly dived to their right, barely avoiding the mouth that crashed down on their position. Rubble filled it's mouth as it crunched its massive jaws. The creature shook its head as it spat out the rubble, causing some to fall around the two men.

Luis backed away, aiming his gun at the monster as it closed it's jaws. Suddenly, the left tentacle wrapped itself around his body, causing him to drop his gun. His scream filled the air as the tentacle began to shake him around like a rag doll.

The creature threw Luis down to the floor below. Leon cursed as he looked over the edge. Adult parasites burst from small egg sacks that were growing from the queen. They immediately attacked the Spaniard.

Luis cursed and got in the fetal position, trying to protect the most vuleranable parts. But he soon had to change tactics as the monsters started to spit acid in his direction.

"Luis! Cover your eyes," Leon hollered.

Luis covered his eyes as Leon threw a flash grenade down at the pit. The parasites screamed as they died and disintegrated. Luis took the opportunity to escape up the metal ladder and reunite with Leon.

"Get Salazar to reveal himself," Chris ordered as he threw down his Sniper rifle. He brought out his knife and began slicing at the right tentacle. Leon and Luis joined the effort.

**Meanwhile**...

"Stop pushing me," Sheila growled as the monk behind her pushed and shoved.

The religious Ganados were in a hurry to get the three girls to the docks. A strange incident occurred five minutes earlier that made them late for their trip to the island. A flock of crows had surrounded them and attacked by crapping on them.

The monks had stood their ground and fought back. When all was said and done, the group was alive but covered in nasty crow poo. Claire explained the phenomenon as revenge from Leon and Chris's shooting spree earlier. Apparently, crows take it personally when you kill members of their flock.

Sheila knew that they were close to the docks when they emerged in the small room where the merchant would be selling his wares to the men. The teen longed for rescue and had hoped that the merchant would have been down there by now. She just knew he would have done something.

The monk who was pushing Sheila finally stopped and opened the door. His partner urged the three girls to go through. His red eyes watched them with cold dislike as he lead them toward the docks.

Two boats were waiting. If Sheila remembered correctly, one of them were to be used by Ada and Leon.

"You're late, amigos," came a familiar voice.

Sheila's eyes widened as Krauser suddenly appeared before them. The Ganados took a step back, plainly showing their fear of the tall man. Sheila gulped as Krauser crossed his muscular arms across his broad chest.

After listening to Krauser converse with the Ganados in Spanish, Ashley began to tremble. She looked up at the large man and turned pale when he caught her gaze.

"You're the one who kidnapped me," Ashley accused.

"Oh really? What gave me away," Krauser replied sarcastically.

"Probably your humongas scar," Sheila muttered.

"Nice to see you too, runt."

Krauser then turned his attention to Claire. He slowly looked her up head from toe. Claire gave the older man a scowl.

"Take a picture why don't ya? It'll last longer."

"No thanks, doll... Looks like you're one of us, now," Krauser said casually. Claire looked away, remembering the pain she went through just a short while ago.

"It makes me wander how your brother must be feeling about Saddler's little gift inside you."

Claire's eyes snapped back to Krauser's. How did he know about her brother? Did Saddler finally found out their identity?

"How do you know my brother?"

Krauser smiled cruelly. "Let's just say that we have mutual acquaintances."

Claire waited for him to continue, but it was plain to see that the little tip was all she was going to get.

"Now, let's go. Ashley and the runt will come with me. You will leave with the two morons here. And don't even think of trying to escape. There's no where for you to go but to the bottom of the ocean."

Suddenly, two loud shots echoed around them. Sheila felt her ears ringing. She looked wildly around until she saw two large holes in the monks chests. The monks turned around, seemingly surprised by the attack. Two more shots rang out from the hall.

The Ganados heads exploded. Two stage two parasites emerged from the necks. Krauser cursed as he quickly grabbed the two younger girls around their waists. He then quickly tossed them into the second boat. Their landing wasn't pretty.

The angry merc then ran back to Claire, intending on snatching her as well. But someone threw a flash grenade which blinded him for five seconds. When he could finally focus, he realised that Claire was gone.

Krauser considered himself a man of action. On the battle field, he learned to never hesitate. But this situation was different.

If he left to chase those who dared to help the Redfield girl escape, then that left the two girls by themselves. This gave them a strong chance of escaping themselves. Besides, he didn't know what kind of arsenal the attacker/s had.

So that left the option of fleeing with the two girls. Krauser didn't like the thought of running from a fight. But his number one priority was to get the two young women back to the base, unharmed.

Krauser stomped back to the speed boat. He jumped in with a angry grunt. Whoever caused him to lose one of the prisoners better stay out of his way. For if they did cross paths, then he would make them beg for death before he was done with them.

**R**

"He! He he he he he heee! That tickles," Salazar taunted. Leon and Luis were having a hard time shooting the weak spot on the middle tentacle. The head would move out of the way while the two tentacles slammed the ground, causing the three to lose their foothold.

It was especially hard when the head opened it's massive jaws, then lung for them. Rubble and holes in the ledge showed where the men barely escaped death.

Just when hope was lost, Luis got a lucky shot. The eye exploded from the magnum's bullet, causing the head to be useless. All three tentacles laid limp as the pod reluctantly opened.

"Chris, now's your chance," Leon pointed out.

"And what do you think a puny human such as yourself can do to me? I am invincible!"

Chris took the strap and unhooked it. He carefully bent down on one knee and positioned the rocket launcher on his shoulder. Salazar stopped laughing as Chris smiled.

"This puny human is going to blow you straight to hell."

Chris fired the missile. Salazar watched with horror as the missile went straight for him. His eyes grew wide as he realised that this was the end.

"Oh sh-"

BOOM!

The explosion was big and loud. Bits and pieces splattered the walls and ground while the queen parasite began to melt and disintegrate. Part of the roof collapsed, destroying the egg sacks on the ground.

When the dust cleared, the men saw their way out. Double doors were where the parasite once covered with it's massive body. The three heroes cheered.

"You did it," Luis said with glee as he clapped Chris on the shoulder.

"No, we did it," Chris replied.

"Yeah, we did... But this isn't the time to celebrate. Let's keep moving," Leon ordered. Being the ever good boy scout.

**R**

Claire sneaked another look at Ada. She just didn't get the woman. Why save her twice?

Then again, maybe she had to. Just to save face in front of the merchant. In fact, if it wasn't for the merchant who shot the two monks with his rifle, then maybe she would be with the girls on the boat.

Not that she was complaining. She owed her life to both of the mysterious people. But some how, she had a feeling that Ada could have done more than throw the flash grenade, and then save her. Maybe she didn't want that weird guy to see her.

"It's not polite to stare," Ada remarked.

"Sorry, but seeing a dead woman who's not trying to eat my brains is a new one."

"Who said I was dead?"

Claire smirked. "A brave ex-cop."

Ada looked away as a wistfulness filled her eyes. Claire knew that look. She herself often had it when someone mentioned that certain ex-cop.

"Yes, well, what can I say? My survival instinct kicked in."

Ada turned and looked Claire square in the eye. She seemingly let her guard down, revealing some emotion that was buried way down deep. Claire could see why Leon had feelings for Ada after she supposedly died.

"So, do you think his unusual good luck got him through yet again?"

"Knowing Leon, he passed through with flying colors. Especially since he has my brother and Luis with him."

The two settle into another long silence. The waves lapped gently against the boat. It was comforting to sit in the boat as it rocked. The air and cold breeze rejuvenated Claire, chasing away any drowsiness.

"You care for him still," Claire stated.

"Care for whom," Ada questioned coyly.

"Playing it safe, I see," Claire remarked while crossing her arms.

Ada looked at the younger woman beside her. Judging from her body language, Claire harbored some untold feelings herself. Ada smiled knowingly.

"Unrequieted love. How sweet."

"What? There's no... I mean I wouldn't... We're just friends," Claire huffed.

Ada laughed. Claire wanted to bang her head against the dash board. Even the spy's laugh was beautiful!

"Okay, since you can apparently read minds, how about answering a question truthfully."

Ada stopped laughing and gave Claire a strange look. After a short pause, Ada gave the green light.

"How on earth do you wear those beautiful high heel shoes and that gorgeous dress on this type of mission? On any mission! I mean, what, is it a trade mark or something? You're quite known for being the lady in red."

Ada smiled in amusement. "I guess I like my high heel shoes. They come in handy when you have no weapons. As for the red dresses, red's my favorite color. And there's nothing like a sexy dress that can make you seem more feminine and docile to a enemy."

"Huh.. Strangely, that makes sense," Claire quietly said.

The sound of the door banging open startled Claire. She gave Ada a questioning look. But the spy seemed perfectly at ease and unwilling to move from the driver's seat. Claire decided that someone had to be ready if it was the enemy coming to ambush them.

Claire quickly got out of the boat, aiming the 9mm gun that the merchant gave to her for free. She had two clips to go with it so if there was more than one enemy, she was sure that she could make their lives miserable. But there was no need for the gun.

To her relief, Chris, Luis, and Leon appeared. Her eyes lit up as she ran forward. Chris ran half way and met her. She laughed when he picked her up and swung her around.

Leon and Luis watched the happy reunion. All the pain and horror they been through was worth it. Leon then looked at the speed boat, wandering who the stranger was. But to his surprise, he saw the woman in red sitting at the wheel.

Sensing Leon's eyes on her, she turned around and gave the agent a saucy smile. It was good to see him alive and well.

"Need a ride, handsome?"

* * *

**A/N: **Whew! That was a tough chapter to write. But I'm glad it's done since now we can go on to the last stages of the game! Can you believe how far we've come? I can't!

Thanks for sticking with me this far. And now, here's the little thing I mentioned in the Author's note earlier. Claire has been injected with the egg. Since the next part of their journey will be filled with nonstop fighting, it's going to be hard to concentrate on themselves. Should Claire tell the guys about her predicament and take the pill?

Go to my prophile page and vote! It's multiple choice so you can vote twice! Just make sure that you vote before I get too far with the story. Now review please. It helps when you comment on the progress of the story.


	34. Chapter 33: Wheeee! Monster Crazy Island

**A/N: **Here you go. Another chapter from my crazy imagination. Things will start to change for the characters. Death will follow Luis around due to his not dying like the game wanted. Wesker will put the next stage of his plan to action. And two certain American gals will get into some trouble. What more can you ask for?

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 33: Wheeee! Monster Crazy Island!**

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

Sheila frowned. Things have gone from bad to worse. Claire disappeared, she had no idea if the guys were still alive, and now she has been snatched again by the bulky, scarred ape, Krauser.

Plus, she was covered with purple dried slime! This should explain to you why Sheila was making it her life's mission to bug the dangerous merc. Stupid? Yes. Fun? Oh yeah! Smart? No.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we-"

"No! Now knock it off, runt!"

Silence.

"Hey Krauser."

The annoyed older man grunted. Sheila smiled evilly and leaned forward. She waited till she was right next to his ear to say those dreaded words.

"Are we there yet," Sheila whispered.

Krauser yelled with anger. Sheila leaned back, laughing. Sadly, this was the only way she could get her kicks. Maybe it was the way he reacted that caused the professional little sister inside to pick at the over grown man. Of course if she was sitting up front with the guy, she wouldn't be such a pest.

"You won't be laughing when we reach the island. I promise you that," Krasuer said between clenched teeth. Ashley slightly looked over her shoulder and gave Sheila a pleading look. This calmed the teen down. Maybe it was for the best to keep quiet.

Sheila decided to look ahead. They were getting closer to there destination. Soon, they would arrive on what would have been the last stages of the game. Things would get interesting, that's for sure.

Question was, would the girls ever be rescued? Sheila shook her head. Of course they would. Thinking like that wasn't going to help her or Ashley. Sure, technically she shouldn't be there, and neither should the siblings. But didn't one thing all the TV shows and movies teach her that things always worked out in the end for the good guys? Course that was fiction, this was not.

Goose bumps began to cover her bare arms as the boat was now clearly in sight of the creepy island. The island itself was much more scarier and intimidating than the game made it appear. Sheila didn't have to imagine what lied ahead. She already knew.

As if sensing her discomfort, Krauser began to talk. What he said caused the fear that both girls were experiencing to intensify.

"If you thought the castle and village was bad, then you haven't seen nothing. We've got creatures that would make the El Gigantes look like a walk in the park. You're lucky that Saddler has plans for you two. Or otherwise, you might end up as someones lunch."

Sheila closed her eyes and shivered. What he said was too true. Sure, she and Ashley were safe from those monsters for the moment. But that didn't stop the 'what ifs' scenario.

_Ok heroes. Time to step it up a notch and rescue the damsels in distress. _

**R**

The boat ride for the others was not so chatty. Each were lost in their own thoughts. Luis was thinking about his dreaded return to the island that held the majority of his experiments. Guilt and remorse took hold of his soul.

Chris, he thought about different things. The girls who were still in the enemies hands, the island that Luis so creatively called the 'Death island'. Then of course he thought about the lady in red. She saved his little sister's life again. He was grateful, but he still didn't trust her. The woman unnerved him.

And Leon, our dear handsome agent. Here was his chance to interigate the woman he at one time thought was dead. But every time he got the nerve to speak, his mouth suddenly would go dry. It of course irritated him. He had so many questions that needed an answer. He also didn't fully trust the spy. But a tiny part of him knew that Ada was a good person, though she herself didn't seem to know that.

Last but not least is Claire. She kept looking back and forth between the two silent figures in the front seat. It really irked her how Ada flashed her smile at Leon. The agent had seemed almost flustered. Paranoia ate away at her, making her jealous in a way.

Did he still care for Ada? Was the warm and secret looks she and Leon had shared lately meen nothing? All the swirling conflicting feelings inside of Claire made her physically sick. No guy had ever made her feel this way before. She almost wanted to hurt her male friend.

She knew that this wasn't the time to let fleeting emotions to get the best of her. When all the madness was over, she would take a step back and look deep within to see if her feelings were real or just a crush on a very close friend.

After deciding that, Claire found herself calmer and more relaxed. She could now look at the two without feeling threatened. Now, she could keep her mind on the current mission in front of them. Save Sheila and the President's daughter while stopping a mad man's plans coming to pass. Piece of cake... Okay, a little too optimistic, but as long as they kept their cool and stay alert, Claire believed that they could survive this thing.

"We're here. God help us," Luis said with obvious dread. The others were pulled from their thoughts, noticing the rocky island.

Leon gave Ada a uncertain yet curious look. Now was his chance to ask her some questions. He had to find out if she was to be trusted. And most of all, he had to know why she worked for Wesker.

Ada noticed Leon's look. She could see the curiosity burning in his eyes. She couldn't tell him anything, or her careful plans would be ruined. So, with a flare that seemed natural to her, she suddenly turned the wheel sharply, causing the boat to turn around seemingly out of control.

Leon grunted in surprise while holding on tightly to the side of the boat. The others yelled in fear and clung to each other. It seemed that their life was going to end right there against the jagged rocks. But Ada had measured the distance and speed perfectly. Instead of a big explosion, they merely bumped against the rocks. Life seemed sweet at the moment.

Ada quickly stood up, lifting one foot and resting it on the edge. This caused a large amount of leg and thigh to be seen by the three males. Leon was shocked, Luis was practically drooling and Chris seemed to be not impressed. Well, he did appreciate the flash, but only for a moment.

The spy raised her grappling gun and fired it up. She looked over her shoulder and faintly smiled.

"I've got some things to take care of. See you around."

Then, she was gone. Unfortunately, the grappling gun caused some force to her kick as she zipped up the rocks. Leon quickly got in the drivers seat and tried to gain control of the boat. He managed to turn the boat so the side could hit another large rock without shattering to pieces. Everyone sighed with relief.

"Heh. Women," Leon muttered.

"Tell me about it," Luis replied.

These remarks earned both men a hard slap on the back of their heads. Claire smirked when they yelped in pain. Chris merely grinned. Claire put a stop to that with her sharp elbow.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For wearing that stupid crown! Take it off, you're giving me the creeps."

Chris muttered his complaints as he carefully put the crown back in his case. When done, the gang began their climb up the steep slope. When finding a smooth path, the group took their first look around.

The horizon wasn't so dark now. This brightened their spirits. Just knowing that they survived the night made their dangerous situation less depressing.

Sadly, their one moment of peace would be interrupted by the very man who started the cult. Leon was reluctant to answer his radio. But he knew he had to, for all he knew it could be Hunnigan. If it was, then Leon could call in some back-up. His small hope died when seeing Saddler's hooded face on the small screen.

LEON: _Hate to break it to you, but Salazar's dead._

SADDLER: _Yes. It seams that way._

LEON: _Saddler, why don't you give up the girls and let them go home?_

SADDLER: _Perhaps you are disillusioned with over confidence just because you killed my small-time subordinate? _

LEON_: Saddler, you're small-time._

SADDLER_: (laughter) Writhe in my cage of torment my friend._

Leon holstered the radio, looking glum but determined. A small, glove covered hand touched Leon's arm. The agent looked down at the hand and sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up. It didn't hurt nobody by asking the psycho to let the girls go. At least you tried," Claire said with deep understanding.

Leon slightly smiled. "Yeah, but will it be enough? Will we be in time to save them before-"

"We are not going to be saving anybody if we stand around talking about it. Let's go do our job and save the world," Chris said while taking his Blacktails safety off.

"Right. Let's gear up and go," Leon said while taking out his Striker from his case. He handed his Sniper rifle to Claire, leaving the sniping job to her. Luis preferred using his ever trusty Rednine.

Gaining a second wind, the group began their brisk pace down the winding path. Lights was strung along on a thick black cable along the rocky walls. They followed the lights till they reached an actual crumbling base.

There was a watch tower to the left, seemingly deserted. A spot light slowly searched the ground. If they were careful, they could avoid detection, though it really didn't matter. Saddler already knew they were there.

Some screams attracted their attention. They saw Ashley and Sheila being carried by two Ganado's dressed in muscle shirts and grey army cargo pants. Unlike the other Ganados they came across so far, these seemed more organized and in great physical shape. The only signs of the parasite was their red eyes and pasty, sickly looking skin.

"Let me go! I'm not a sack of potatos you creepy Ganados," Sheila screamed.

"Please, somebody help! Leon help," Ashley cried loudly. Then the medal door slid shut, cutting out their screams.

Leon closed his eyes. It was hard hearing the panic in their voices. He couldn't imagine what they must be feeling.

Leon quickly refocused his thoughts on the job at hand. He turned around and began to talk in low tones. The others listened intently, waiting for their orders.

"I'll go first. I'll signal Claire to follow next when I make it to that wall. Chris, you come next, then Luis. Try to keep it quiet. If we're spotted, we'll run back here to take a stand."

Leon then quickly turned around and waited for the spotlight to pass. Then without hesitating, he leaped across the gap and quietly ran over to the wall. He then peered into the glassless window of the crumbling wall.

Two Ganados were sitting down while leaning against a crate, taking a snooze. Their heads rested on their chests. Leon pressed his body against the wall as the spot light passed. When the coast was clear, he held up two fingers and then pointed behind him.

When he made his point clear, he signaled to Claire to come. Just as Leon did, she waited till the light passed before taking the leap. She made it safely to Leon, pressing her body against the wall beside him. Next came Chris. Everything was going fine. Now they only had to wait for Luis to reach them before taking the next course of action.

Luis was nervous and not completely confident with Leon's plan. But as it goes there really was no other option. He would do as he was told and leave the action planning to the professionals. Even though he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen. He was right.

He waited till the light passed, just as the others did. Then with the up most care, he jumped.

Now, there was some rocks and pebbles near the edge. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. It didn't effect the others in their leaps of faith, but as for Luis, well, it wouldn't be good.

His right foot landed on a smooth stone. This caused him to lose his balance which caused the stone to role forward. He soon found himself falling forward toward the ground. A larger rock was _conveniently_ placed where his head was about to land.

With very quick natural reflexes, Luis put his hands and knees forward to catch his fall. It gratefully did, or Luis would have cracked his skull, therefore ending his role in this story.

But with the commotion of falling and dropping his gun, the spotlight was directed toward Luis's direction. The Ganado yelled, causing one of his fellow guardsmen to press the alarm button.

"Sh-t! Everyone, move back!"

The siblings didn't have to be told twice. They quickly ran back, just as planned. Luis didn't speak, too ashamed for what he thought was clumsiness.

Claire quickly raised the sniper rifle and fired, shooting out the spotlight. Though it didn't make a difference now since their presence was so obviously known. But at least they didn't have the bright light blinding them.

Chris and Luis then took their positions in front of Claire to start taking out the many, many Ganados heading toward their position. Both waited patiently till the right time to shoot. The first battle of the island began.

**R**

"You are El stupido! Do you comprehend, amigo? Put me down or face the consequences," Sheila screamed.

The Ganado carrying her laughed. This only enraged the teen further. She began wiggling and kicking, though it did little good. To her surprise, the Ganado slapped her bottom with his free hand. This caused her to freeze.

It wasn't the sting that followed from the slap that made her freeze. It was the very fact that a grown man had dared to slap her bottom without a second thought. The shock quickly wore off as anger replaced it with a vengeance.

Without saying another word, Sheila lifted the hem of the Ganado's black shirt, revealing dirty pale flesh. She quickly dug her nails in, drawing blood. The Ganado stopped and gave his friend a strange look.

Both men broke out into a fit of laughter. The Ganado carrying Sheila turned around, showing the youth to his comrade. Both spoke in rapid Spanish before chuckling.

Sheila stopped, realising that the Ganado didn't really care that she was trying to scratch him to pieces. Feeling helpless, the teen gave up and stayed still as the men continued on.

"Sheila, are you alright," Ashley asked, fear lacing her voice.

"No. I'm not, okay? This whole situation is hopeless."

Sheila stopped her ranting when hearing Ashley's muffled sobs. She tried to get a good look at the older girl, but the angle she was being carried made it difficult to turn her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so negative. I just... I just want to go home."

"Me too."

Both became silent. Each thought about their family. They wandered if their family could feel their loneliness and pain. Each thought made the journey with the two Ganados more unbearable.

After a short while, the ganados finally came to a stop. They dropped the two on the ground, nudging them to stand up. The two young women stood up, looking around to see their surroundings.

Sheila recognised the building they stood in front of. This was the base where things would get ugly for them and the others. Any chance of their escaping was slim. Well, at least till the others came to rescue them.

The two men opened the old rusty doors and nudged the girls to move forward. Before they could enter, a soft thud behind them stopped their progress. The four turned around, looking for the source of the sound.

Ashley spotted it first. She quickly walked over and picked up the smooth blue object. It was a flash grenade. She felt the rough, dirty hands of the Ganados grab her upper arms. Their stale breath made the young woman want to gag.

Without thinking, she twisted the top, starting the countdown. Both men released her and backed away.

"Ashley! Throw it and run," Sheila squealed.

Ashley quickly threw the grenade down and ran forward with her eyes closed. The flash grenade went off, stunning the two enemies. Both girls ran inside into the darkness. For a split second, both felt the rush of triumph. But the feeling quickly left when they realised that they were running alone around the base without any weapons for protection.

**R**

Everything was silent after the last Ganado was killed. For the moment, it seemed that they had won.

"Is that the last of them," Claire asked.

"I doubt it. This seems to be their base of operations. So there will be plenty more for us to fight. Be on high alert," Leon answered while reloading his weapon.

The group ventured out yet again. This time, Luis didn't slip. The group cautiously approached the wall. But instead of going through the window, they decided to go around the crumbling wall near the look out tower.

Chris and Leon led the way. Their footsteps barely made a sound as they slowly walked around the wall.

As Leon predicted, there was more Ganados. But that wasn't their reason for worry. A shout came from above. They looked up to see a large man with a Gatling gun. That, as you can tell, is the reason why they should be fearful.

"Bienvenido," the tall, large Ganado shouted before jumping down. (Translation: Welcome!)

"Down! Get down," Chris shouted as he jumped back behind the wall.

The sound of the gun whirring up behind the wall made the group tense up. Then came the deafening sound of the gun being fired. Part of the top of the crumbling wall began to fall apart.

"This cover isn't going to last for long," Leon shouted as he covered his ears.

"What," shouted Chris.

Leon shook his head. After about ten seconds the gun fire stopped. They could hear the deep rumble of the Gatling Gunner's chuckles as he began to walk forward.

Luis and Chris peered over the wall and began to fire. The bullets had no effect on the crazy gunner. His red eyes shone merrily as he took his slow measured steps toward the group.

"Grenade," Leon said as he popped up and threw the weapon.

The men huddled back down and covered their ears. Claire did the same. But in a surprising twist, the Gunner caught the grenade and threw it back over the wall. The grenade landed in front of the huddled heroes.

The young strong people tried rolling and jumping out of the way. But they didn't get far. The grenade went off, sending everyone in different directions.

When Chris came to, he noticed Leon and Luis were eight feet away, near the edge of the look out tower. Both seemed dazed and unable to help. He himself was hurting pretty badly, his ears seemed to ring constantly. But at the moment, he ignored his injuries and forced himself to get up.

Evil laughter to his left made the young man freeze. The Gunner stood there, aiming his weapon at Chris. Then he looked down and chuckled some more.

Claire was laying at a awkward angle on her left arm. Her blue eyes were closed. The only signs of life was her chest rising slowly up and down.

The man raised his gun in the air, ready to bash his sister's skull in. With a feral roar, Chris charged the Ganado while firing every last round in his gun.

He dropped the gun when it was empty and tried to draw the Ganado's attention away from Claire. His diversion worked. The Ganado was now walking toward him, grinning ear to ear.

Chris quickly engaged the large man in hand to hand combat. The Ganado laughed as he let Chris punch, kick, and hit him again and again. When he grew tired of Chris's useless assault, the heavy weight man decided to have his turn.

He used his gun like a bat and swung it toward Chris's face. Chris leaned back, narrowly avoiding death. If the blow would have connected, his cheek would have busted open, all the way to the bone. His jaw would have shattered to pieces. Needless to say that Chris would have been dead before he touched the ground.

Chris's blind fury dissipated some what, letting common sense to enter into the picture. The man had him beat in height, weight, and strength. Suddenly, fighting the man with his bare hands seemed like a very unwise decision.

"Pase! Pase usted," the Ganado said as he beat his chest with one hand. Apparently, he was taunting Chris to hit him again. (Translation: Go ahead.)

Claire began to regain consciousness. She slowly rolled over, giving her arm relief from the awkward angle she was laying in. When she turned her head, she gasped. Her brother was fighting the mammoth by himself, without using any weapons!

That's when she noticed his gun lying on the ground. It wasn't too far ahead of her. Maybe, if she could reach it, she could save her brother from killing himself.

But when the Redfield tried to stand up, a sharp pain streaked up from her lower calf. Panting with pain, Claire slowly sat up and tried to examine her right leg.

Her black jeans stuck to the calf, sticky with her own blood. The pant leg had to be cut for any further examination.

Claire cursed, knowing that the leg probably was in pretty bad shape. She couldn't stand up, not without help. So, with difficulty, Claire crawled toward the gun.

When reaching the gun, she began to reload it. When done, she took out her handgun and aimed both weapons at the large man.

Chris fell to the ground from a harsh blow by the big Gunner's meaty fist. The crazy freak would have ended his life right there if it wasn't for two red dots aimed at his heart. The Ganado staggered with surprise when noticing twin lasor dots on his broad chest. He turned around and grunted when seeing Claire aiming two gun at his chest. The Ganado leaned back and laughed.

Claire resumed firing the weapons. But she soon found out the same thing her brother did. She needed heavier gunfire to put this Ganado in the ground.

The Gunner started his weopan, the whistling whirring sound alerted Chris to the threat against his sister. Without a second thought, Chris jumped in front of the Gunner and began jumping up and down, using every curse word he knew in Spanish.

The Gunner forgot Claire and tried to hit Chris with his gun again. Chris easily dodged it and began to run toward the closed metal door. The Gunner whipped around and targeted Chris. Claire screamed a warning, but it was too late.

Bullets connected with Chris's back, causing him to fall from the power of the bullets. Claire screamed and cried as her brother laid motionless on the ground.

The Gunner turned around and dropped the gun. He smiled as he approached the sobbing woman. He bent down and gently touched Claire's cheek. She jerked away, disgusted. The Ganado laughed.

Suddenly, the sound of the Gatling gun winding up caught the Ganado's attention.

He turned around to see Chris, holding the heavy weapon with both hands. He fired the gun, snarling as the bullets ripped through the Gunner's flesh like a knife through butter. The Gunner screamed as he fell back. Chris continued his assault till the weapon whistled from being out of bullets.

He slowly stepped toward the huge body. Steam came from the barrel of the gun. He pointed it at the motionless body, waiting for a reaction. But the Gunner was dead.

"Chris, Claire! Are you guys alright?"

Chris looked up, relieved to see Chris and Luis. Both were banged up and had some deep cuts on their arms and torso, but both seemed fine.

"I'm fair, considering. But Claire seems hurt pretty bad," Chris said as he dropped the heavy weapon on the body. He then turned his attention to his sister.

"I saw you get shot, Chris," Claire said with a silent sob.

Chris tapped his chest. "Bullet proof armor, remember? Though I am going to feel the bruises later."

Claire smiled as her brother wiped away her tears. Then with up most care, he brought out his knife and began to cut her right pant leg.

Leon brought out some herbs and a can of first aid spray while Luis and Chris examined her leg. It wasn't pretty.

"You've got some shrapnel embedded in your calf. I would prefer working on your leg in a sterile environment. But since this is an island filled with enemies, we're going to have to make do. Leon, do you have some tweezers and needle and thread?"

"Way ahead of ya. Here. You do your part and I'll do the bandaging and clean up."

Luis nodded as he pulled some large tweezers out of the kit. Claire held her brother's hand firmly as Luis set to work. She cried in pain as Luis slowly pulled tiny slivers of shrapnel out of her leg. After what seemed like forever, he stopped, looking worried.

"What? What is it," Chris asked anxiously.

"There is a piece of shrapnel that I'm afraid to touch. It amazingly missed her major arteries, but without the proper equipment, I'm afraid I could cause some damage."

"Yeah, but if we leave the shrapnel in there, her leg will get infected," Leon said with frustration.

"I know! She needs a hospital and a doctor. I'm just a scientist."

"You study science and the human anatomy. You're qualified enough, Sera," Chris said impatiently.

"Guys! Stop it!"

The men became silent and looked at the pale young woman. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she tried to sit up. Chris slowly helped her, rubbing her back as he supported her.

"Luis, I trust you and your judgement. Do what you got to do," Claire commented truthfully.

Luis sighed. "If I'm going to do this, I need some light. Leon, stand up and flash the light on her wound. Chris, sit behind her and hold her still. Claire, feel free to scream if the pain becomes to unbearable."

Everyone got into position. With slightly shaking hands, Luis began to slowly work on Claire's throbbing calf. Claire tried not thrash around, but without any anesthetics, Claire could feel everything Luis did. It was agonizingly painful in every sense of the word.

When done, Luis cleaned the wound and applied a red/green/gold herb mixture. Then to top it off, he sprayed the first-aid spray over the angry wound.

"Well, we did it. But you are going to need a doctor and a hospital, soon," Luis said while giving Chris and Leon a concerned look.

While Leon sewed up the long gash, Luis took Chris aside to talk options. Chris listened as Luis explained the nature of her wound.

"Chris, she doesn't need to walk around on that leg."

"I know. But what do you suggest? Leave her here in the open without protection?"

"Chris, I'm just trying to come up with a plan for her. I'm not suggesting anything right this moment."

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just... We have to do something, and fast," Chris said with a tired look. Luis sighed and patted the older man's shoulder. The situation they found themselves in couldn't come at a worse time.

While Chris and Luis discussed a new plan, Claire was busy biting her lip as Leon stitched her up. The agent felt a ache as a tear escaped her moist eyes.

"Sorry," Leon whispered huskily.

"Don't be. I just got to suck it up, bare through the pain."

"Doesn't matter now. I'm finished. I just gotta wrap your leg up, beautiful," Leon said with a warm smile. Claire blushed.

"Oh, um, Leon? I dropped the Sniper Rifle after the explosion. I'm... not sure where-"

"I found it after coming out of my daze. It's a little scratched up but still in good working order. Nothing to worry about."

When finished, Leon carefully helped Claire stand back up. He held her arm, supporting her weight so she didn't have to put any weight on her injured leg. Chris and Luis walked back to the couple, looking dissatisfied.

"I know what the problem is guys. And I have a suggestion."

Chris and Luis shared a look. What could Claire had possibly thought of that they hadn't?

"I'm gong to slow this group down. No, it's true. The only thing that matters now is the girls. You guys go and just leave me some extra ammo."

"Nobody is going to be left behind. Now, there is something we can do. Those herbs help bad wounds heal quicker, right? Well, we used the best and the first-aid spray. Just give it some time to heal enough so that you can travel."

"But Leon, you have to get to the girls before something worse happens to them," Claire argued.

"Wait, I have a solution that will make everybody happy. Leon, you and Luis can go on ahead. I'll stay here with my sister till she's well enough to move."

Leon or Luis couldn't argue with that. Claire wanted to, but she knew that arguing would only waste more time. The two set out immediately to open the metal door. After figuring out the laser mirror trick, the two waved their good-byes to the siblings.

So with a heavy heart, Claire said goodbye to the two brave men as they continued on without her or her brother.

**R**

The facility was creepy and dark. Every turn they made was heart pounding and scary. Who knew what would happen or what waited around each corner. The girls felt exposed as they tried to quietly navigate around the dirty halls.

Ashley didn't question Sheila as the teen led the way. She just followed faithfully, whimpering when a noise was made or when they would peek around a corner to see what laid ahead. When a rat scuttled by, Ashley yelped. Sheila had enough.

"Ashley, if you keep squealing when a noise is made, then we'll never get out of here alive. Do-you-understand?"

"Shut-up! Just shut-up, alright! I'm scared and I just can't help myself," Ashley said loudly.

Sheila quickly put a hand over the taller girl's mouth, her eyes flashing. Ashley looked surprised as Sheila began to whisper angrily.

"Listen, we're near the kitchen now. Kitchen means food. Food means bad guys who will probably be eating! Now, stay quiet."

Sheila removed her hand, hoping she got through to the girl. Apparently she didn't. Ashley spoke up as if she hadn't heard a word.

"How do you know that we're near the kitchen?"

Uh-oh. She didn't mean to let that little bit of info slip. She quickly looked at the swinging door with the round window. She smiled as a excuse came popping in her brain.

"You see that door? Well, you usually don't see a door like that unless it's in a restaurant's kitchen. It swings both ways-"

"Oh, I see," Ashley interrupted. For now, Sheila kept her secret about her knowledge of the island.

As the two neared the dirty door, a smell surrounded the nostrils. Ashley coughed, almost retching from the rotten smell. Sheila was careful in taking slow small breaths so as not to inhale the stench of rotten meat too much.

Trying not to gag, Sheila pushed the door open. The smell became worse as they entered the kitchen. Any thoughts of hunger soon vanished when they reached the large slabs of rotting meat hanging from the ceiling. One particular slab of beef laid on the table with a meat cleaver still stuck in the ribs.

"I think I'm going to puke," Ashley said after seeing maggots in the meat. Sheila felt the same way.

"Let's go," Sheila suggested as she pushed Ashley. They walked past the tall oven without saying a word. Thankfully, no crazy guy came bursting out of it while covered in flames.

The girls stopped when hearing Spanish cursing near their position. Somebody was coming to the kitchen. And they were doing it fast.

"Run! We got to-"

"Shh! No, they'll overcome us. Let's hide," Sheila hissed.

Both looked around quickly, trying to find a good hiding spot. Since they had to make a split second decision, the two had to quickly make due with what they had. They quickly hid behind the crates and boxes filled with supplies near the shelves.

The girls clutched each other as the two Ganados who carried them a little while ago came bursting through the swinging door. Their animated voices filled the room as they searched the kitchen. For a minute, it seemed that the girls would be caught, but luckily the two men began to fight.

They pushed each other while yelling in Spanish. It was terrifying for the two women as the men began to get ruff with each other. They knew that they were the reason the fight had begun in the first place.

But as quickly as the fight started, it ended. The men resumed talking in low tones, as if discussing their options. Sheila held her breath as she slowly peeked over the top crate. What she saw would forever be implanted in her mind.

The two men began cutting into the rotted, maggot infested meat. Old congealed blood coated their fingers as they brought the raw meat up to their mouths. Sheila almost vomited when the Ganados sunk their teeth into the rotten flesh. The sickly squishy sound of raw meat being chewed made Ashley curious.

Sheila tried to stop her, but Ashley paid no attention to the silent teen. Her eyes widened as she took a peek. A Ganado was shaking his head as he tried to take a large bite out his tough slab of beef. The flesh stretched and stretched till the beef finally tore. The Ganado gave a satisfied grunt as he chewed the contents with a open mouth. Maggot parts along with rotting beef dripped down his chin.

Ashley literaly turned green as she collapsed. Then with very loud retches, Ashley vomited all the contents in her stomach. The two soldiers stopped their feasting and slowly turned their heads. Sheila froze as her eyes met their gaze.

The two Ganados dropped their food and immediately charged. Sheila grabbed two cans off the shelf and threw them. One missed while the other found its mark on one Ganado's head. Blood spurted from the wound, causing the soldier to trip and fall. Sheila kept up with her assault.

When she saw that the two soldiers were starting to back away, she quickly grabbed Ashley's arm and drug her out of the kitchen. The Ganados tried to follow, but with a great stroke of luck, they slipped in Ashley's vomit.

Just before they were clear from the kitchen, Sheila stopped to grab the grenade that laid in the sink. Ashley opened her mouth in shock as Sheila stuck her hand inside the dirty water. Before she could ask what she was doing, Sheila pulled out the grenade.

"Don't ask," Sheila said while grabbing Ashley's hand. "Just run!"

This is where Sheila made her crucial mistake. You see, up ahead was several Ganados. Remember those armored soldiers? Sheila didn't. In her need to escape, she totally forgot that the deeper you go in the facility, the more Ganados and certain experiments appear. This was a lesson she learned the hard way.

Both girls were running full speed ahead, not stopping to see where they were going. It wasn't till they both ran into a armored soldier did they realise that their escape was for nothing.

Ashley nearly fainted when seeing the tall, large, bald Ganado. Sheila smacked her head, realising her mistake. They should have ran back since Leon and the others would be coming from that direction. Now, it was too late.

**R**

"Are you sure you're alright? Are you comfortable," Chris asked Claire for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I'm fine! Stop bugging me and go.. do something!"

Chris ignored her and continued to pace. Claire rolled her eyes. Her brother was ever the protective one who thinks that nobody could get along without him. If it was up to her, he would be with Leon and Luis, rescuing those who really needed rescuing!

"Stop moping."

Claire narrowed her eyes at her older brother. "Excuse me?"

Chris crossed his arms. "You heard me."

"I do not mo-"

"Oh yes you do," Chris interrupted. "You have a system. First, you get angry when things don't go your way. Then, you get snippy with me. After that, you mope about the situation. Well, guess what? I'm here if you like it or not. Leon and Luis have a job and so do I. And that's protecting you."

"Well, you should have gone with them! They-"

Claire stopped ranting when an explosion was heard in the distance. Claire closed her eyes, too stubborn to let her brother see the fear. Her brother's warm strong hand touched her shoulder.

"They're fine. You know them, they like to blow up stuff."

Claire chuckled. "So does a certain brother of mine."

Chris's eyes twinkled. Claire smiled and shifted her hurt leg, tentatively testing it. There was pain, ok, a lot of pain that shot up her leg. But there was a difference now than earlier.

"I want to try and walk. Can you help me up?"

"You sure," Chris asked with concern showing in his eyes.

"Chris, you know me. I'm sure about everything."

Chris grinned at that. So with the up most care, Chris helped his little sister up. At first, she leaned on her brother, trying to take it slow. With very tentative steps, Claire began to walk.

First, pain shot up her leg as she put more pressure on her foot. But gradually, she found that she could hobble around without keeling over in pain.

"I don't know if it's that yellow herb or what, but the pain's slowly going away," Claire commented.

"Yeah, I found that when using the yellow herb, it just doesn't help you heal faster, but it also numbs the pain... So, does this mean you're up to taking a stroll around this crazy island?"

Clair nodded. "Yep. Besides, I think Leon and Luis will have everything cleared out for us. Let's go."

**R**

"Something stinks," Leon said gruffly.

"Si. It smells like something died," Luis commented dryly.

The two men were now in the facility. The battles they faced wasn't pretty, but in the end they were the last men standing.

Leon pushed the kitchen door open. The stench of rotting meat caused the agent to gag. Luis grew disgusted. The base was in worse shape than the last time he was there.

"Look at all that beef. Such a waste... Though I could go for a juicy stake right about now," Leon commented as the two approached the meat.

Luis shuddered as he pointed down at two pieces of chewed up beef. "Looks like somebody got hungry."

Leon curled his lip with disgust. "OK, this kitchen is definitely the kitchen from hell. Let's keep moving."

Leon quickly tried to walk on, ready to leave the kitchen behind. The chewed up rotten meat reminded him too much of Raccoon City. But his plans of a quick escape was not to be.

The door of the tall oven suddenly blew open. A man roared as he ran out of the oven, his hands reaching for Leon's throat. With quick reflexes, Leon blew the man away with his Striker. The man fell back and hit the oven.

His body slid down to the floor, unmoving. The aroma of burnt flesh filled the kitchen, almost drowning out the rotten meat smell. Both men stared at the oven with shock. Scorch marks inside the oven were in the shape of a man.

"What in the hell was this guy doing in there?"

"Probably was a punishment," Luis commented as the burnt body disintegrated.

After the shock of the oven incident, the two men continued on. Like the girls, they met the armored guard and his cronies. Another battle commenced.

**R**

Ashley kept glancing at the younger girl beside her. She looked paler than normal and not so sure of herself. Whenever one of the Ganados made a sound, the teenager would jump and let out a whimper. This was something serious.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!"

"Yes there is! You're acting weirder than normal," Ashley hissed.

Sheila peeked behind her shoulder at their new guards. The one wearing the red bandanna gave her a mean thoughtful look. Something about him seemed more dangerous and cunning then the other soldier Ganados.

"Listen, we can't exactly discuss certain things here. But I will say this. This area is dangerous. I have a feeling that this area will be filled with monsters that only exist in our worst nightmares!"

With a commanding voice, the bandanna guy ordered them to stop to his comrade.

He grabbed Sheila's arm and led her down the hall that would bring them to the autopsy room. The teen began to quake as they approached the double doors. Too confused to refuse, Sheila walked through the doors and into the room.

Surreal was the word for what she was experiencing. As the Ganado pushed her forward, Sheila took in every detail.

Wires hung loose and exposed, papers scattered the floor. It was apparent that nothing was taken care of.

When she went through the automatic sliding door, she noticed how the room became worse. Papers, dried blood, dirt and dust covered the floor. Computers were on but it was clear that they were of no use do to not being taken care of.

But Sheila knew that wasn't the worse part. What laid in the tiny room with the large window was what she and the others should be truly afraid of. And by the looks of things, that's where the Ganado wanted her to be. Well, to at least look at.

"What's going on? Sheila," Ashley wailed as both girls were pushed toward the large window.

"I don't know."

Both girls gasped at the horror that laid on the autopsy table. Its long body and sickly grey skin color was unnatural and definitely inhuman. Though it had five fingers and the same amount of limbs, it had no toes, and no hair on any part of its body. Neither girls could tell if the thing was male or female since it had no sex organs.

"Oh man, please don't come back alive yet," Sheila said with a panicky voice.

"Yet? What do you mean yet?"

Before Sheila could respond, the bandanna Ganado ordered the other to walk Ashley back to the cell. Sheila watched with fear as Ashley and the Ganado left her alone with a sleeping monster and a scary Ganado.

The soldier grabbed the teen roughly and forced her to look him straight in the eyes. Sheila whimpered as his grip grew very painful.

The Ganado began to talk in rapid Spanish, making the teens brain feel dizzy. He was speaking too fast and since she didn't know a lot of Spanish, she couldn't make out his words.

"Yo habla un poco de espanol," Sheila said loudly so the angry Ganado could hear her. (Translation: I speak Spanish a little.)

"Perdon," the soldier remarked sarcastically.

"You no escape again. Americano run," the Ganado said while pointing at the monster. "Americano dies. Comprendo?"

Sheila nodded. "Si, senor."

The girl didn't have to be told twice. She tried any more stunts, she would end up as the Regenerator's lunch.

The soldier seemed satisfied that his message got across. He released her arms and began to escort her out of the medical room. But then he stopped and turned around.

To Sheila's horror, he led her over to the light panel. He began tapping the buttons, trying to open the locked door. The red light beside the sliding door went green, showing its unlocked status.

Sheila was dragged inside the room where the frozen corpse and the parasite laid in plain sight. The teen quickly turned away, too sick to gaze at the frozen death mask of the poor soul lying on the operating table.

"Senor Vega?"

Sheila lookd over her shoulder at the Ganado. Apparently, he was looking for someone. Didn't he know that everyone was dead in this room?

The Ganado peeked behind the curtain. He gasped before running to the corpse on the floor. Sheila hesitantly followed. When the Ganado bent down to grab the key card that Leon would be needing soon, Sheila screamed.

The Ganado whipped around, looking startled. Forgetting the key card, the soldier grabbed her by the shoulders and shook. But Sheila refused to stop screaming. She found herself willing to do anything to get out of that death trap.

Suddenly, a loud boom and crash interrupted the two. Both Ganado and teen looked at each other in surprise. The Ganado released her and slowly approached the sliding door.

The door slid back, revealing the Regenerator. Sheila opened her mouth and let out a scream of terror. One of her worst nightmares had woken up early and decided to say hello.

**R**

Wesker silently got dressed in his gear. Today was going to be a very special day for the man. Not only will he get the sample of the Las Plagas, but he will finally ge his revenge! His nemesis will never know what hit him.

That is why he was getting a very early start in his preparations for the day. Some of the scientists and Umbrella soldiers didn't understand the whole getting up in the wee hours of the morning. But Wesker had a philosophy. And that philosophy was the early bird gets the worm. And Chris and his sister were the worms.

After he was through, he left the locker room with a spring to his step. Everything was coming together nicely. His enemies were all on the tiny island which made it easier to kill them all at once. Ada was close to getting the sample and retrieving Luis who will work for them, even if he didn't know it yet.

And of course there was the project. Steve was in prime condition and currently going through a training exercise. From what the scientists told him, Steve was the perfect killing machine.

Deciding that he wanted to see the young man's peformance himself, Wesker back tracked to the training room. He used his keycard to enter the safety room that allowed Umbrella employees to watch in safety as special projects went through the obsatcle courses.

"Good Morning, sir," Heath greeted groggily.

"How's the subject doing," Wesker asked. Getting straight to the point.

"He has went beyond our expectations predicted! He has both cunning, agility, and the killing instinct down pact. He's... beautiful."

Wesker slightly smirked as Steve leaped in the air over the tyrant's head. Without hesitating, he punched a large hole through the monster's chest. Gore and blood sprayed the two way window. With a sickening thud, the young man threw down the still beating heart. Then, as an after thought, he kicked the tyrant's legs to trip the big lug. Within one second, he snapped the creature's neck.

"That's his thirty-second kill this morning," said the scientist proudly.

This pleased Wesker. "I have one question. Has there been any glitches that I need to worry about?"

For a moment, the young man thought that the old scientist had ratted him out. But then he relaxed, knowing that he would have already been dead if that was true. Without missing a beat, Heath lied.

"No. The subject has shown nothing but perfection. With the chip in his head, he is completely under our control."

Wesker was silent. The scientist's voice came out clear and even, making it hard to tell if he was lying.

"Good. Because if anything goes wrong when I bring the subject on the training field excersise, I will blame you. I will personally kill you myself. Do you understand, doctor?"

The scientist shivered as he gulped. "Yes, sir. But let me assure you that-"

"That will be all. Now, I have to make some more preparations for the project's flight. When our golden boy is done, get him geared up. We leave just before dawn."

When Wesker left the safety room, Heath crumbled to the ground. "GV-23... Please don't fail me now. Or else we're both going to be terminated... permently."

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry to leave it like that, but I didn't want to cram everything in one chapter. So, what do you think? Did that little appetizer get your taste buds going? Good! Now, there is still time to vote on my poll. Just go to my prophil page to vote.

Also, I'm sorry this chapter is late. Really late. I had the computer shut down for several reasons. Saving money, it's a old slow piece of crap, and because of family problems. Let's put it this way. I've been so angry, hurt and some what depressed over a little family situation that has accured. It affected me so much that I couldn't do anything creative till recently. But now, I'm better and at peace. More chapters are on their way.


	35. Chapter 34: The Boogie Man

**A/N: **Prepare yourself for the creepy, irritating Regenerators! Just writing about them makes my skin crawl. And don't get me started on the Iron Maiden! Thanks for voting in the poll on the situation with Claire. I will be closing it down and starting a new one soon. Let's just say it was a close one! Yay!

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 34: The Boogie Man**

Sheila backed away, too scared for her life to move. She knew that she should make a run for it, like in the game. But fear had immobilised her.

She looked at the Ganado in front of her, waiting for the dirty man to take action or do something. But it seemed like her, he was unable to do anything to save their lives. Or it could be that he wasn't as smart a she thought him to be. Either way, he backed away, allowing the sliding door to slide back shut.

Sheila gasped as the footsteps neared the door. Half of her expected for the creepy yet interesting music to start playing its haunting melody.

The door suddenly slid open. A whimper escaped the teens' mouth. The Regenerator was more horrifying in person. The creature's skin had a grey tint that glistened as the monster moved. The eyes were red with a certain spark that told her a story that ended with her grisly death. Was it hunger that she also saw? Makes sense, since its teeth was made to tear chunks out everything around it.

The creature wheezed as its eyes zoomed over to the Ganado. Sheila slowly inched her way over to the dead corpse holding the card key. The curtain around him prevented anyone to see him, including the girl. It was the same fear that told her to hide under the bed as a little girl that now told her to hide with the dead body.

Sheila heard the Ganado say something. The fear in his voice was not a good sign.

Sheila peeked around the corner, wishing she didn't. The monster was closer, moving its limbs like it was doing a weird attempt at dancing. Drool dripped from its long fangs as it stared at the pale Ganado. Then suddenly, just like a snake, it struck without warning.

The Regenerator roared as it reached for the Ganado. iIs long arms some how stretching farther than humanly possible. Its long fingers clamped around the frightened Ganado's arms. And with inhumanly speed, pulled the young man toward it, its arms wrapped around him tighter than a lover would do.

Unwillingly, tears of fear streamed down the girl's cheeks as the Regenerator sunk its teeth into the Ganado's flesh. The Ganado's scream of agony caused Sheila to hyperventilate. For that could have been her if she hadn't moved when she did.

Sheila finally looked away as the Regenerator tore a hunk of flesh. The way it fed was very close to a rapid dog. The image seemed to have burned itself in the teens eyeballs. She tried to focus on getting up and running, but her mind wouldn't stop replaying the scene she just witnessed.

_I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! Oh God, I don't want to die!_

The sound of chewing and groaning filled Sheila's ears. She covered her ears and tried to block out the sound.

_Get a grip! You're not dead yet. Now get up! I said get up!_

Sheila nodded, listening to... well, herself. She stood up, though her legs were shaky. Wiping away her tears, the scared teen peeked again. The Ganado was still alive, barely. His arms hung limply as the Regenerator feasted on his dirty flesh. Then suddenly, the parasite popped itself to the surface through the man's neck. It was a full grown adult.

The Regenerator ignored it, though that was soon changed. The parasite released its acid on the monsters neck and half of its face. The Regenerator hissed as it released its prey.

_Oh crap._

Sheila felt like using every curse word known to man at that moment. Now she had to get past two monsters, both lethal and dangerous to her personal health.

She had to think fast. Looking down at the card key the corpse was holding, Sheila bit her lip as it came clear to what she must do. She had no choice in the matter. If she did get past the two alive, the possibility of more Regenerators now awake and roaming the halls was as high as it can get. And the only way out of this section of the base was the card key. Well, after she uses it in the machine that remakes it for the other door. Either way, she was in one of the crappiest spots in the game.

Sheila peeked again around the curtain, checking out the two freaks position. The Regenerator apparently healed quickly, the acid burns now healed over with new, ugly skin. Its long fingers were clamped around the parasites human neck. It roared as it began to attack with its teeth. Now was her chance to make a break for the door.

Sheila grabbed the card key. Taking a deep breath, the teen ran.

There was no stopping or looking around as she flew. Her adrenaline had kicked in which gave her the extra boost that she needed. Before she knew it, she had made it to the last door. Finally, she paused. Was she jumping from one fire to the next? Only one way to find out.

With trembling hands, Sheila grabbed the door handle and slowly opened the door.

**R**

Leon blasted the last parasite, its brown blood splattering the walls. He grunted as his broken ribs began to throb. Luis and him had encountered the armored Ganados, along with their little friends. It had resulted into a rough battle. Which as always, involved getting knocked around and barely surviving.

"That my friend, was not easy," Luis remarked.

"Story of my life," Leon replied as he sat down in the chair by a small wooden table.

"How's those ribs," Luis asked as he reloaded his gun.

"They're (grunt) doing better," Leon lied.

Leon smiled crookedly as Luis snorted.

"The girls can't be far now," said Leon.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because of the heavy security we just encountered. Think about it. We've recovered the two girls more than once _**and **_managed to kill his Big Cheese and his psycho mini-me. He's so close to completing his evil plan."

Luis nodded slowly. "He'd be an idiot to not take extra precautions."

Leon slowly got up, grunting as he did so. "Right. Like I said, we're getting closer to where they're being held."

The blond agent leaned against the table as a sharp pain pierced his rib cage. Luis reached out, but the stubborn young man waved him off.

"I'm fine. Just a little stiff... My God, what is that?"

Luis looked down at the dirty plates, just now noticing the strange and rotting substance covering the plates and table. Flies literally covered about seventy percent of the dried substance.

"That... I don't want to know. Let's get going."

Leon curtly nodded and preceded to take the lead. Cautiously, he lead Luis up the stairs, his Striker ready for any more interference. But for the moment, it seemed that the area was clear.

Then they heard a sound. The two edged closer to the door that lead to a area they had yet to explore. They froze. The sound was Ashley, yelling with all her might.

Throwing caution to the wind, Leon kicked the door open and ran inside. Luis was close behind him. They ran past some filing cabinets and crates, expecting to find Ashley. But instead, they found a security monitor system.

Leon slowly stepped forward, his eyes intently on the image on one of the monitor screens. It showed Ashley banging on a metal door, her face flushed from screaming and possibly crying.

"Da-n it! Ashley's there, but where's Sheila," Leon growled as he began to press certain buttons that would let him peek at different areas of the facility.

"She's not alone," Luis whispered as he leaned in to take a closer look at Ashley's screen.

Leon froze, watching with growing concern. A Ganado slowly approached Ashley from behind, face held a look of contempt for the young woman.

Ashley seemed to have noticed the noise behind her. She turned around, looking frightened.

"No, wait! Stay away!"

The Ganado grabbed the young American roughly, his lips curled into a snarl. Ashley struggled, though in vain.

The Ganado pushed her away from the door, looking like he enjoyed his power over the situation. Ashley yelped when hitting the floor, tearing the skin on her exposed knees and hands.

"Callete," the Ganado ordered. (TRANSLATION: QUIET! or SHUT UP!)

Ashley gave the soldier a dirty look, but didn't dare to utter another word. Leon narrowed his eyes, anticipating when he could get his hands on the arrogant soldier.

"Well, at least she's in one place for the moment. Now, let's see if Sheila is near by,"

Leon began to switch to different rooms and parts of the facility. At first, it seemed that they wouldn't find the young troublesome girl. Then, they happened upon the medical area. Luis groaned.

"What the hell is that?"

"The Regenerator," Luis choked out. "And it's slowly heading her way."

"Turn around, da-n it! Go through the doors behind you! We got to go!"

Leon ran to the door, not hearing Luis's pleas to stop and listen.

"Leon! Wait, you don't know what you're getting in to!"

"It doesn't matter Luis! That thing was too close to spotting her. We've-"

"What's all that commotion about Strangers? Keep that up and you'll might as well turn yourselves in to Saddler."

Leon stopped for a brief moment, walking toward the Merchant. "Sorry, but I don't got time to stop and chit chat. Got a girl to save," Leon replied before briskly walking ahead.

"Wait! There's some-"

But the merchant didn't get the chance to finish. For the Garage door opened as Leon and Luis came into view around the broken window. Two Ganados lit their dynamites, then tossed them toward the visitors.

"Oh crap," Leon muttered before rolling back toward some cover.

**R**

Sheila gulped, hearing the heavy breathing just around the corner. It seemed that she just didn't wake up one Regenerator.

The breathing seemed closer than it did a minute ago. Did the creature hear her close the doors or something? She thought that she was being quiet, considering her fearful state of mind.

Either way, her options weren't good. If she went back, a Regenerator and possibly a adult parasite will be waiting for her. If she stayed where she was, either the Regenerator in the hall would eventually find her or the one in the autopsy room would bust the doors from behind her down. Then of course was her last option. To take a mad dash for the freezer room... Where yet another Regenerator would possibly wake up.

The teen swallowed the scream that wanted to escape. She tried to push her fear away, telling herself that her heroes were on their way. Maybe... Possibly...

Sheila wiped the tears away, preparing herself for her possibly last run. Her adrenaline was still in high gear, so she wasn't exactly afraid of tripping or something stupid like that. She was too pumped up to let a little inconvenience like that to get her killed.

The wheezing was definitely closer. She was sure of it. Her choice was now absolutely certain. Running would be the smartest thing to do. Even if her legs at the moment suddenly felt like led.

Touching the grenade in her pocket, Sheila took a deep breath. Then she ran.

As she rounded the corner, the teen collided with the tall monstrosity. Its low growl caused her body to go numb. She and the monster wobbled unsteadily, but did not fall. Long cold fingers wrapped around her throat, and then lifted her off the ground. Sheila's eyes widened as she fought for air. She was now facing the creature at eye level, her feet moving frantically in the air.

Sheila stared into its shining red eyes. All she could see was death, her death.

The Regenerator roared as it slammed her down to the ground, releasing her throat. She coughed violently as she gasped for air. Her throat felt like it was on fire and raw as her air ways opened up.

Sheila held her throat with her left hand as she meekly tried to crawl backwards. But the Regenerator wasn't done with her. Not for a long shot.

It knelt down and grabbed her left hand and yanked her back. Drool dripped down its chin as it wheezed. The teen moaned as she began to thrash her body around, trying to break away. The monster roared as it quickly bent down to go for her neck, going for the kill.

Sheila had her grenade ready. She jammed the grenade in its open mouth. The monster stopped and bit down, its teeth sinking threw her tender right hand.

Sheila screamed while yanking her hand out. The teeth had went deep. Just looking at her hand made her head spin.

Sheila quickly scrambled away, holding her injured hand close to her body. The monster seemed preoccupied with the strange metallic thing in its mouth. Then... BOOM!

The head splattered around the surrounding area. The body shook violently, then slowly it began to recover. Tentacles whipped around, as the flesh began to reconstruct itself. Sheila grunted as she scrambled back to her feet and began to run.

She ignored the heavy breathing ahead as she opened the double doors. The small light above the freezer room beckoned her as she stumbled toward it, the blood loss causing her to be disoriented.

Sheila grabbed the door handles and pulled. But they wouldn't budge. A cold sweat moistened her brow as the panic crept in. She began to push and pull, whimpering as the cold doors wouldn't budge. Then she remembered the key.

"Stupid... Regenerators! Made me forget," Sheila hissed as she shakily put the key card through the key slot.

There was a short beep sound before the sound of the door being unlocked. Then a low growl from behind her made the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Without a moment to spare, Sheila opened the doors and ran in.

**R**

Leon cursed as he failed yet again to kill the dynamite throwing enemies. Whoever was controlling the garage door was smart enough to shut it almost immediately after the Ganados threw their explosives.

Leon and Luis were able to get in a few shots, but not enough to break the two crazie Ganados concetration. The determined agent was becoming agitated. He didn't have time for this.

"Well, now what do we do," Luis muttered as another blast against the small wall with the broken window caused it to shudder.

Leon shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe if we create a distraction-"

"A distraction? And exactly how are we going to do that?"

"I don't know, Luis!... (Boom!) Maybe you can (Boom!) run out there and (Boom!) get their attention."

Luis gave the agent a incredulous look.

"Listen, I just need you to distract them long enough for me to... I don't know, throw a grenade or something at them. Come on Luis! We don't got much time," Leon said with an intense gaze. Luis looked torn.

"Fine! Let's do it," Luis conceded with a hint of anger.

Leon nodded and began to open his case up, intending to grab a grenade. Then he stopped, getting a different idea.

"What are you doing," Luis whispered as he watched Leon close his case.

"Don't worry about it. Just go and create the distraction."

Luis hesitated, then left the wall. He began to jump around, shouting curses at the closed Garage door in Spanish. Meanwhile, Leon got his Sniper rifle ready.

The door opened revealing the two men with the sticks of dynamite. One laughed while pointing at Luis. His compadrae took out his lighter and lit the fuse, chuckling darkly.

Leon took the shot, his aim right on the money. The Ganado dropped dead from his head shot. Unfortunately for his buddy, the dynamite was still lit. The garage doors closed, leaving no escape for the lone Ganado.

BOOM!

Both men stayed still, holding their breath. After a few moments, both relaxed.

"It worked."

"Surprised?" Leon asked with a smirk.

Before Luis could respond, the garage door opened again, revealing three crossbow snipers. The Spaniard raised his gun, aiming at the middle one. His confidence was running at zero when he saw the three aim their crossbows at him.

"Leon," Luis hissed.

Suddenly, their was a tiny sound. Like a pin dropping. Then a grenade was tossed toward the three snipers. The middle one began to shout, motioning to his left to close the shutter. The shudder did close, but not before the grenade slid in with them. Sound of panicked screams were heard before the explosion.

Luis turned around, expecting to see Leon. Instead, he saw the red eyed merchant. He was shaking his head at the whole situation.

"Sometimes you strangers need to stop and listen! Otherwise I wouldn't have to stop what I'm doing and go and save your reckless arses!"

Leon slowly walked up, looking a bit sheepish. Luis mumbled something about Leon and looked away. The merchant sighed.

"Now, if you will listen, I've got something that would not only interest you, but will save your life. Let's just say that you're getting tactical with the situation! Heh! Heh!"

The merchant took his heavy pack off and pulled out the Tactical vests. Leon's eyes widened.

"I figured ya would be needing these. I'll sell it to ya for a great price."

**R**

Sheila shook violently as the cold seemed to freeze her through and through. The cold air stung her bare legs and arms. Especially her face. Living in Georgia did not prepare her for this freezing temperature.

She tried to walk, but the floor a tad slippery. Yet another thing the game forgot to show. Reality was so different than games.

After struggling to gain her balance, the teen proceeded forward. The air was foggy and not so clear. She could make out the shapes of the failed Regenerator experiments hanging on the meat hooks. A chill that had nothing to do with the freezing air went down her spine. She was glad she couldn't make out their faces clearly.

_Must... find... key machine! So... cold!_

Sheila walked toward the east toward the open door. She walked sluggishly inside, cracking a smile when seeing the strange machine. After a few moments of trying top find where she put the key, Sheila successfully placed the key in the slot.

_That should do it... Okay, why isn't this thing working!_

"Come on! Why aren't you working, you piece of crap!"

Sheila examined the machine. There were different buttons in different colors. None had the word 'Start' on it. Frustrated and cold, Sheila eyed the cryogenic freezer device in the corner. If she turned the device off, then the cold air would stop and things would start to melt.

Though she would love for the cold air to sop, she was worried about the Regenerator. In the game, he woke up when Leon took the Infrared Scope. But here in reality, things could be way different. Like causing the boogie man to defrost which in turn wakes up to spread its freaky horror. That wasn't what she wanted. Her little plan was to wait for Leon there so that she wouldn't have to face these things alone.

But the possiblity of freezing to death was looking like her immediat future that would soon happen if something wasn't done. Any longer in the cold would cause some serious damage. Besides, it would be easier to deal with the machine with no freezing air zapping the oxygen from her lungs.

Sheila nodded at her decision and decided to turn off the cold air. She walked to the tiny corner and presses the red button. Hopefully it was the right one.

The temperature began to drop. Sheila's breathing became easier. Each intake of air was easier and didn't feel like sharp knives piercing her lungs.

"The others so owe me for this," Sheila mumbled as she walked back to the machine.

Sheila noticed that there was a flashing yellow button. Could that be it?

Holding her right hand close, Sheila hesitantly pushed the yellow button with her left hand. A strange sound came from the odd machine. After a few seconds, the teen began to wander if she pressed the wrong button. Then, the yellow flashing button flashed green. The key card popped out, ready for use.

"I am so good," Sheila purred.

**R**

Leon and Luis silently walked into the Regenerator's domain. After buying both Tactical vests and forcing Luios to wear one, Leon decided to go on.

He listened to Luis giving a brief description of the Regenerators. And sadly, he didn't exactly have the equipment that would help him kill them. Neither did the merchant, unfortunately.

So now, they were going in, hoping to use what they had to at least save Sheila and escape the almost invincible monster.

The first sign that they were one of the creatures was the sound of its heavy breathing. Leon tightened his grip on his trusty Striker, hoping to find Sheila still alive. If he didn't...

Leon froze, spotting a Regenerator standing about six feet away. It wasn't really doing anything but stand there... and wheeze. The scene reminded Leon of the zombies he encountered not so long ago.

He studied the situation. It was really dark with only a light here and there to show the current surroundings. So it was possible for them to sneak by. Well, that is if the hallway wasn't so narrow. Confrontation with the large monster was inevitable.

Leon gave Luis a small nod. The Spaniard did not look thrilled at all.

Taking a flash grenade off of his belt, Leon pulled the pin and threw it. A bright flash lit up the dimly lit hall.

"Move," Leon ordered. Both men ran past the roaring monster. Leon quickly kicked open the double doors, running toward the freezer room.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed Luis and yanked him several feet back. Leon turned around, hearing his companion scream.

The monster's red eyes seemed to glaze over as it gave Luis a strange look. Then it roared and tried to sink its teeth into his left shoulder. It growled when the armor deflected its attack.

Luis struggled and tried to pry himself away from its body. As he struggled, he came across something squishy that blended in with the rest of the Regenerator's body. He found one of the parasites.

Luis gritted his teeth as he sunk his fingers into the parasite, causing the Regenerator to cry out in pain and surprise. Leon ran over and began to beat on the creature with his trusty Striker. The monster released Luis, staggering back about two feet.

Leon grabbed Luis's arm and led him back to the freezer doors. The sound of heavy breathing to their right had Leon cursing all scientists.

"How many of these things are there," Leon growled.

"Many, amigo. We need to-"

The freezer doors opened up, startling the two men. Sheila didn't wait for the two to say anything. Instead, she grabbed Leon's hand and pulled him inside. Luis quickly followed. The teen then quickly slammed the doors shut, turning instantly away from the dried blood stain covering both doors.

A pair of strong arms inveloped the teen, causing a bright smile to light up her pale face. Leon was warm and... his chest was hard as a rock. Pulling away, the teen smiled at the tactical vest. It looked great on Leon, especially in real life.

"You're freezing," Leon said with concern.

"And she's hurt," Luis added as he held her injured right hand. Sheila tried to ignore the pain as she expressed her relief to see the two older men.

"You guys just don't know how happy I am to see you! I thought for sure that it was game over for me. Those freaky things really know how to bite."

"I know. And they can do much worse. Leon, I need your first aid kit."

"Here... What is that?"

Sheila didn't bother looking at the dead experiments hanging on the hooks. She already got an eye-full when running into this death trap. Those long, razor and crooked teeth of the failed experiments were another thing on her 'Scar Me For Life' list. Sheila gulped when the memory of her current encounter with the boogie man replayed in her frazzled mind.

"This is the freezer room for the facilities failed Regenerator experiments. As you can see, we had a lot of problems with the genetic structure of the parasites and the human hosts," Luis replied as he sprayed Sheila's bloody hand. She yelped as her hand burned and stung as the medicine began its work.

"No kidding! I thought nothing could surprise me after Raccoon City. But this... Poor souls."

"Luis, why is there frozen grown parasites here?" Sheila asked, looking at one of the dead creatures that was on top of one of the dead bodies. Luis didn't answer right away as he bandaged her hand.

"There was an accident," Luis answered at last. "Somebody forgot to make sure two of the hosts were truly dead when putting them in here. That little mistake had caused several of the facilities best to be slaughtered. One of the other scientists who was lucky enough to survive turned the temperature down before escaping, saving the rest of us from exposure. Well, for the time being."

Sheila bit her lip, looking around the bloody place as Luis finished his work with her hand. The blood stains were every where, just like a Jason movie. The thought freaked her out, causing her already pale skin to turn a shade lighter. Feeling woozy, the teen began to swoon. Luis grabbed her.

"Whoa, don't faint on me now. You're going to be alright."

"What's wrong?" Leon asked.

"I'm fine. Really. Just need some iron." Sheila squeaked. "Can we go? I really don't want to stick around."

"Sure. But first, we got to look for some more medical supplies. Leon, check the cabinet over there." Luis said as he began looking mong the mess.

Sheila leaned against the doors, watching the dead Regenerators carefully. So far, no movement. Could it be due to Leon not grabbing the new sniper scope yet? Should she distract him and just forget about it? In the game, it was a very valuable tool in fighting the Regenerators and Iron Maidens.

"I'm going to check in here," Leon said as he entered the tiy space where the infer-red scope was held.

Sheila felt her heart begin to race. She had to make a decision soon. Feeling cornered by fates unlucky road, Sheila gasped, then pretended to faint.

"Sheila!" Luis cried out. Leon ran back and joined the Spaniard.

"What happened?"

"She fainted. I think she lost more blood than I realized." Luis answered as he looked at her pale countenance.

"This is not good! How are we going to get past those monsters while she's unconscious? She's not going to make it unless she has some rest." Leon said in a worried tone.

The guilt began to eat at the teen as the two were so obviously torn in two by the dilemma she created. Gathering her courage, Sheila decided to let fate continue with this especially scary part of the game. Opening her eyes, Sheila pushed away the helping hands.

"Stop fussing." she said grumpily.

"Don't get up. You need to rest." Luis said urgently. "You've lost allot of blood and-"

"We don't have time for that. We need to save Ashley. And I got the key to get us past this... freak show!"

"Where did you find that?" Leon asked. His surprise at her finding skills slightly stung her pride.

"Oh, who cares! All that matter is that I reconfigured it in that thingy in there so now we can get out of this creepy area," Sheila said as she showed them the key card. Both men gave each other a look.

_Oops! Way to make them more suspicious of you! Dang it! Why can't I play the oblivious person better?_

A sound over by the failed experiments stopped any questions for the time being. All three slowly looked at the back. A thud was heard. Sheila slowly stood up, her heart in her throat. Luis and Leon pushed her behind them as the body of one of the Regenerators pushed itself up, its red eyes zooming in on its prey.

"Oh, crap." Sheila squeaked.

"You can say that again." Leon muttered.

The creature roared, it's arms stretching forward. Sheila let out a scream.

**R**

Claire was sweating bullets as her brother played crutch for her as they finally made it to the complex. Chris left his sister leaning against the wall as he went to scout out the area.

"Da-n," Claire muttered. She gingerly touched her bandaged wound.

The medicine did heal her enough to stand without help. But walking was another story. Her brother worried that infection would settle in, even with the combination of the herbs. Claire kept the worry at bay, keeping her mind on light things. Such as food. Nice, steamy, hot chicken noodle soup. Or even better, a T-Bone steak! Ooh, the image of the meats juices made her mouth water.

"Okay, all is clear. Leon and Luis did a thorough job so far." Chris said as he came trotting back. Claire smiled.

"Ready for some more exercises?" Chris said playfully, though the mirth wasn't in his eyes.

"I was born ready. Let's go." Claire replied as she grabbed Chris's arm. Their slow process made her feel like an old lady.

"Do you think they found the girls yet?"

Chris shrugged. "I don't know. But knowing Leon, he'll rescue the damsels in distress in no time."

Claire heard the doubt in Chris's voice, but didn't comment on it. Truth be told, she was starting to feel crampy, grumpy, and sweaty. It was becoming a major inconvenience with her physical status being the way it was. She trusted Leon and Luis and knew that they would kill anything in their path, but that didn't mean that there wasn't any more freaky things of science lurking around.

Chris's concerned look got her going. "Stop hovering over me! I can take care of myself."

Claire's irritable mood seemed to just slide off of Chris's back like water on a duck's back. He took the lead, going extra slow for his little sister to keep up. No Ganado's insight. His only worry was when they would reach the kitchen. From the pasty tint to his sister's skin, they would be stopping soon, again. Something was up with her, he could tell. Call it sibling intuition or just plain instinct, something was most definitely wrong.

"I guess this is the kitchen area," Chris spoke aloud, stopping in front of the dirty, resturant like door. "You don't suppose that a nice slab of steak is on the menu?"

"Along with a huge Cesar salad and strawberry ice cream." Claire replied with a dreamy look in her blue eyes. At least she had kept her sense of humor. How either of them could joke or smile had to be a sign of the shock of staying up for over twenty four hours.

"I'll go first." Chris said suddenly, losing all humor. Flicking the safety off on the side of the Blacktail hand gun, Chris kicked the door open and jumped inside. He quickly passed the dirty watery sink, interring the kitchen. The smell and sight had him backing away, gagging.

"I guess steaks are on the menu." Chris said with disgust. "Pity to waste all that meat, letting it get rotten like that."

There wasn't much to explore. Just lots of cans scattered, a scorch mark of a man in the oven (Chris wasn't even going to go there), and of course a drying puddle of vomit. Well, at least one of the girls (or Leon and Luis) left a trail. Shaking his head, he turned to go back to Claire, only to find her standing there behind him.

"Claire! I told you I was going to scout out the area first!"

"It's dark and eerie." Claire replied. "This place is too silent and creepy to be alone."

Chris noticed her sweating getting worse as she favored her stomach, as if wounded there instead. "Claire..."

"Let's keep moving, Chris. I want to catch up with the others before anything else happens."

Claire passed her brother, slightly hobbling. Her injury was painful, but the cramping in her stomach and chest was worse. She couldn't let herself dwell on the fact, too consumed with getting the others through this safely and alive to take a look at her condition. If she did, she would remember what had happened back at the castle and the parasite growing within her body. For the egg had hatched, and the parasite within was already growing, though still tiny. Then again, maybe it is best for her to push past her limits, for Leon had the pills that would would slow the progress. It was too late to kill the parasite, but to slow it's growth would help save her life if they ever did get to Luis's miracle machine. But that's further down the road. On back to Sheila and the to guys who's name starts with L! Double 'L' team!... What? I got nothing cool to say other than that geek statement. (author smiles)

**R**

_"Oh no you don't!" _Leon thought as he quickly stuffed the barrel of his gun in the icky monster's mouth as it yanked him toward it's slimy body.

Regenterator blood and gore splattered the low hanging roof, glass and metal cupboards as tiny grey tentacles whipped around from the bloody stump of its neck. Leon was released thankfully as it waved it's arms in the air... Waving them like it just don't care! (I just had to add that!)

Sheila turned upon hearing the beep sound of the cold doors locking_. _

_Crap! Crap! Crappity, crappity, crap, crap, crap! _

"You can't kill it like-"

"We've been through this before! I know!" Leon shouted at Luis. "I'm trying to slow it down!"

This just wasn't happening to her! Sheila watched as Leon shot at the monster over and over, waiting for him to go get that Infrared scope. But he wasn't, and neither was Luis. Why weren't they doing what she did in the game? But reality is just as unfair as a game can be. Sheila knew that more than other people, and why she just now was re-realising that now proves that she is under a lot of strain. At least, that's what she tells herself as she runs into the northeast chamber, slipping on the melting, icy floor. Crawling toward the defrosted locker, she quickly murmurs an 'Ew!' at the dead adult parasite on the floor. She then stands and attempts to twist open the lock on the locker. Of course, it won't budge. Ice, as in reality, just doesn't melt that quickly as it did in the game.

"Stupid... weak... skinny... arms! Stupid... Twist.. in... Reality! Leon, Luis! In here!"

Her answer from the two heroes?

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

_Crash!_

"Roaaaaaaaaar!"

Sheila turned around, then hesitantly tip toed to the open doorway. Leon and and Luis were on the ground, covered under a pile of dead Regenerators. Apparently, the dead freak was a wrestler in his past life or something. His or should I say it's red, glowing eyes zoomed in on her. She couldn't quit her silent mantra of 'Oh crap!"

"Guys! Get up!" she squealed as the creature suddenly launched itslelf in a uncharacteristic, half jog and half swagger toward her.

Running to the back of the small chamber, Sheila turned and tried with all her might to get the locker to open. She could have sworn that she heard the eerie song that happened when the Regenerator approached. It's breathing was heavier as it neared its prey. Sheila openly cried as screamed for the valve to twist.

Either the game decided that it was time to cut her a break, or God was working in mysterious ways; the locker door suddenly sprang open on it's own accord. Grabbing the Infrared Scope, she quickly turned around to go give the special addition to the agent. But her movement ceased when seeing her escape blocked. The creature stopped, seemingly to smile with glee as it now was just standing four feet away. It reached it's long arm and slapped her. The Scope was flung from her hands, smashed through 0the glass window and fell down to the ground near Leon and Luis, who were attempting to unscramble themselves from the dead experiments.

Sheila was getting tired of being slapped around by the enemy. And even more angry with the fact that she was yet again trapped by a Regenerator... Again!

"Leave me alone!" she screamed, covering her stinging and swelling cheek.

The monster reached down, it's vile stench making her gag. Acting on pure instinct, she quickly attempted to crawl between it's legs. For a moment, she had outsmarted the lumbering monster. But as she reached the door, two large, freezing cold hands clamped down on her ankles and pulled. She of course screamed, grabbing onto the edge of the door way for dear life.

"Will somebody kill this thing, please!"

The two men were now free. Luis spotted the scope and quickly picked up. "Here! This should help you see the parasites on its body. Shoot them all, you kill the Regenerator."

Leon quickly fumbled with his case, bringing out the sniper rifle. With quick but shaking hands, he took off his regular scope and replaced it with the heat sensing one. Luis ran inside the chamber and grabbed Sheila's wrists and began to pull. Sheila now knew what a Thanksgiving wishbone felt as two people pulled on the opposite ends.

Leon came into view and raised the sniper rifle, peering through the scope. To his dismay, the lens was cracked, giving him three Regenerator targets. "Da-n! The lens is cracked!"

"Just shoot!" Sheila screamed.

Leon did just that. The first shot missed, which earned him "I can't believe you missed that!" from the terrified red head. Growling, he readjusted his aim and nailed a parasite on the right shoulder. The Regenerator gave a started growl, releasing Sheila. She and Luis scrambled away as Leon fired again, again, and again.

As the creature rapidly became metabolically unstable, Leon slowly backed away, grimacing. The Regenerator then exploded into a pile of warm, sticky goo. Luis was holding and calming the quivering red head as Leon stepped out of the chamber, covered in the sticky goop that was a Regenerator just a second ago. He simply looked at Luis, not saying a word.

"Um, did I forget to mention that the creatures become unstable when the parasites die?"

"Nah, duh." Leon remarked.

Sheila looked up, eyes puffy and red from the crying. Seeing the state Leon was currently in, she burst out in hysterics. Leon scowled. Wiping a heaping hand full of gold like goo off his face, he wiped the offending stuff on the back of his pants.

"Did you find any bars of gold, Leon?" Sheila half jeered and half asked out of curiosity. She got a well earned scowl from the game character as he shook his head.

"We need to get going."

After calming down, the teen and Luis followed Leon over to the door. There was a beeping sound as the lock released. The danger was over... Not really.

"I really don't want to fight any more of these things. So let's look at the map and see if we can get out of her without any more confrontations." Leon suggested.

Sheila hated it, but she had to remain silent as the two looked over the map. There would be more Regenerators, along with the Iron maidens. But, as long as Leon had the rifle, they should be able to get through this... Maybe.

"It's the corridore right next this freaky freezer." Leon comented as he rolled the map back up. "It'll be simple as pie, as long as those creatures out there don't get in the way."

"Pfft!"

The two looked down at the short red head, who in turn shrugged. "Since when has this ever been simple?"

"Good point." Leon replied. "OK. Ready... Set... Go!"

Leon whipped the doors open and ran out. Just as in the game, there was some Regenerators. But Leon wasted no time, meaning what he said. He quickly killed the one in the corridor and led then down to the locked door that had the sign, "Flammable Liquid." Taking the key card, Leon used it, relieved that it worked. Entering, the three reunited companions now entered the garbage dump area.

They quickly proceeded down the next corridor. Sheila reached the door first, signaling for the other two to keep quiet. Neither questioned her as she silently opened the door. Of course, it creaked loudly. Wincing, she slipped inside, followed by her two rescuers. Tip toeing over to the control console, the three peered down through the dirty glass. Three soldier Ganados were just standing around, speaking a little as they stood guard. One was standing behind the blue dumpsters in the left south corner, another standing about two feet from the edge of the dump shoot, the other two where near another short corridor. Sheila grinned. Here was something she was definitely going to get to do.

She frowned when she spotted Leon examining the controls.

"Leon," she whispered. "Can I please do it?"

"Do what?" Luis asked.

Leon smirked. "Apparently, great minds think alike."

"Please, please, please!" she whispered excitedly.

"Sheila, using this thing to dump those thugs down the chute sounds great in a video game," Leon began to lecture, "but in real life, it wouldn't work."

Leon pulled a flash grenade from the clip on his belt. "But this should help do the trick. Luis, you shoot after I give the soldiers this surprise."

She crossed her arms, sticking out her bottom lip as the two began to leave. She seriously wanted to kick Leon Scott Kennedy's butt at the moment. Sure, the natural order of things would suggest that Leon's plans were for the best. Smart even. Simple, boring, but smart nonetheless. After all, the crane wouldn't be fast enough to catch the real life soldiers.

Sheila touched the control with her bandaged hand, rubbing the joystick lovingly. It's not like the Ganados were the brightest light bulb in the bunch. Though the soldiers had a bit more brains then the pesky villager Ganado. Gulping, Sheila felt the urge to press the blue 'Start' button, crank up the crane and try to get her prizes. She was never that good at the cranes back at home, the toy ones... Not the real deal. Anyway, she never got a prize before in one of those stupid yet addictive games. That was another thing against her crazy impulsion. But this was a different world, dimension, game, whatever. Things weren't always as they seem.

Smiling, Sheila made her decision. After all, you only live once! Taking a deep breath, hearing the door close as the two oblivious men left her to take care of the pests, the teen took action. Pressing the button, the crane roared to life, and as she expected, the Ganados didn't notice or care. She grinned as she moved the crane, deciding that the dumpster guy would be first. She could hear the door swinging open as the two came running back in. Pressing a yellow button, she lowered the roof crane. The soldier Ganado looked up, his yellow eyes widening as the crane closed, grabbing him painfully.

Leon and Luis starred with open mouths as she easily moved the crane over to the dump area. His Ganado companions quickly began to fire their bow guns at the poor soldier. He screamed louder as one arrow buried itself in his ankle. Pressing the yellow button again, she released the Ganado, his screams echoing as he fell into the darkness below.

"Woo-hoo! My first crain prize!" Sheila cheered, not bothering to be quiet. "Now, let's go for Dumb-dumb number two!"

She moved the crane over the one two feet from the ledge, who was shouting at the crane, shaking his fist. Sheila rolled her eyes as she lowered the crane, snatching up her prey. Humming a little tune, she swung the crane over the dump and dropped her second prize. Now it was time for the two for one special.

These two were trickier and smarter. They would run around in circles, (Okay, they weren't that much smarter!) making sure to stay out of the devices shadow. Frowning, she stopped, and lowered the crane. She didn't release the yellow button, keeping the jaws open as it hung there, seemingly stalled. The two Ganados stopped, and hesitantly walked over to the device. One tapped it with his bow gun, then chuckled.

They looked up at the window and laughed, thinking that the enemy had no more juice. One even crawled under it, mockingly acting scared. His shorter but thicker companion joined him, all the while laughing. Sheila's lips curled into a malicious smile. Releasing the button, the jaws of the crane ensnared the victims, lifting them high in the air. They kicked their legs, dropping their weapons as they attempted to wiggle free. It was no use. Soon, they were dumped in the dump. Just like the game, the crane broke down after that.

Grinning form ear to ear, she turned and said proudly, "I'm number one!"

"She did it." Luis said. "The soldiers, they just stood there and... did nothing."

"Hey, two did run around in circles, I have you know!" Sheila retorted. "If it wasn't for my clever bait and trap, I'd still be chasing those two idiots."

"You know, you might have alerted the entire base to our presence." Leon said coldly. Sheila's joy suddenly dried up. "You could have gotten us killed!"

"Hey, Leon. That's a bit unfair." Luis said as he wrapped an arm around the suddenly crestfallen teen. "She was only trying to help. And look, it worked!"

"But it could have backfired as well!" Leon said, raising his voice higher.

"I saved you guys some ammo, though!" Sheila said, raising her own voice. She wasn't used to Leon being cross with her. "If anything, I saved your lives!"

"You should have done as you were told!"

Sheila's shocked look had Leon's angry seething to quickly disappear. Rubbing his face, he attempted to make amends. "Look, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. It's just been..."

"Crazy? Scary? Dangerous? Stressful?" Sheila offered, looking down at her feet. She snuggled closer into Luis's tactical vest covered chest.

"Yeah." Leon answered simply. Lifting her chin with one finger, Sheila found herself staring back into his beautiful, sky blue, grayish eyes. Her insides melted. "I'm sorry. Just... try to listen to orders when I give them. I wouldn't forgive myself if you were killed. Okay?"

"Okay." Sheila answered in a daze. If she thought she had a chance, she'd push Claire and Ada aside and kiss the guy. But that would probably be a bad move considering who he was.

Besides, it wasn't mentally healthy to develop a crush on a video game character... Now, if she can convince herself that fact, then maybe she can become half way normal.

"Good." Leon said brightly. He suddenly grabbed some of the drying Regenerator goo from his chest and put it in her dirty, tangled red curls. She gave a startled yelp, then glared at Leon as he chuckled.

"You big... big... doofus!"

Leon snickered, shaking his head. "Ah, I had to discipline you some how for disobeying me, cadet. Though, I have to admit, that was some pretty impressive moves you did with the crane."

What on earth had her melting over Leon like that a second ago? The crush was now dead. Gone. Obliterated!... Oh yeah, his smile and smirk was what did her in. And still does... DANG IT!

"Well, just for that, I think I'm up to tell another merchant theory."

Leon groaned as he lead the two down to the garbage disposal. The stench of the dump stalled Sheila for a short bit as they passed through. But she quickly kept up with the two men, ignoring her natural reaction to gag. Soon they entered the security room. Snooping around, Leon and Luis gathered some scattered ammo as the teen began cooking up the theory.

"Okay... So the merchant is from the future-"

"That theory has already been played out." Leon commented grumpily. Sheila pointedly ignored him.

"The far, far distant future. He's an intergalactic space explorer, like Star Track or somthin'. His job when sent visiting planets is to sell stuff, helping out people during important points in history. Like the Civil war or the American Revolution. His ship is waiting behind our moon as he helps us out. You know, trying to keep Saddler from infecting the entire planet. The catch is, he, the merchant, is now infected by the parasite. He's not allowed back on the ship, nor is he deserted either. He's taking a special serum that let's him be... normal, while being beamed all over the place by the ship to help us while at the same time hoping we'll find the cure."

Luis grinned as Leon simply scowled at the red head. "You were the kid that stared off into space during school hours, weren't you?"

"Only in my 5th grade year. How did you know about that?"

"Lucky guess." Leon mumbled. "This way."

"Get out your Striker. " Sheila warned. Again, with the looks. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

Leon did as she suggested, grabbing his shotgun Striker. Luis kept his Rednine handy, winking at Sheila as he opened the door to the next area.

**R**

"What the hell is that?"

"I'm just as lost on that as you are." Chris replied, looking at the security monitors. The two Regenerators were standing near the freezer doors, breathing... Creepy.

"Whatever they are, it's obvious that Leon and Luis were not able to kill them."

"Maybe they were in a hurry, or didn't see them. Either way, we got to get past them." Claire said, looking down at her calf with a scowl.

"There's no way you're going to be able to run, Claire." Chris argued. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Uh, hello? The merchant did give me a special on this tactical vest and flash grenades." Claire said as she waved one flash grenade in his face. "I'm all stocked up with these babies. We'll use them to blind Creepy and Creepier, then run like hell. Simple."

Chris flicked through the other monitors, hoping to find Leon and the others. He did. "Hey, they found Sheila!"

"Really? Let me see!"

Claire pushed Chris back, hogging the monitor. She frowned. "She looks pretty beat up... Whoa! Look at those spiky guys."

Chris leaned in, smirking. "Man, they have all the fun."

Claire scowled at her brother, who in turn tried to cover his tracks. "I mean, they have _their _fun, but not as fun as I am having with you... No action is.. fun."

"Save it. Let's go, already!"

The two eagerly and a bit more quickly, left.

**R**

"Leon! I'm here!" Ashley screamed as she beat on her cell door.

Leon and Luis rushed over, giving soothing and encouraging words. Slipping the card key in the mechanism, they found to their disappointment that it didn't work. Sheila joined them, giving Ashley a half hearted wave.

"Sorry, Ashley. Looks like we've got the wrong key." Leon apologised. The twenty year old sighed, and moaned pitifully.

"There's gotta be another one of those things nearby." Sheila offered, shivering as she remembered just who for some reason had one. The Iron Maiden.

"Ashley, I need you to listen. We're going to go find a key for this door." Leon said calmly, knowing that the blond was almost at her breaking point... again.

"No! Please, don't leave me again, Leon! You don't know what it's like being stuck with all these creeps!"

"Oh, save it, princess." Sheila grumbled, pushing Leon and Luis out of the way as she looked through the opening where's Ashley's unhappy face was peering through. "Try meeting up with a cold, clammy, razor sharp tooth Regenerator. And before you ask, you don't want to know what they are. They're on the 'Another Weird Monster' list."

Ashley nodded, noticing her bloody bandaged hand. "Will you stay then?"

On a normal occasion, the teen wouldn't. They didn't do so well alone together. But, this time, Sheila was willing to compromise. "Yeah. I'm feeling kinda woozy anyway. You guys mind?"

"Actually, I was going to suggest that very thing." Luis replied. "Though leaving you alone unguarded wouldn't be in your best interest.

"Here," Leon said, handing his Blacktail over while managing to hold his Striker at the same time. "Something to defend yourself with. Here's a box of ammo, and a flash grenade, just in case there's a whole mob... Remember, don't go looking for trouble."

Sheila saluted Leon, grinning. "Yes, Mr. Doofus."

Leon chuckled, then became serious. His mood swings really had Sheila on her toes. AS the two men left, Sheila and Ashley wished them luck. They were going to need it.

**R**

"Throw the da-n grenade, Claire!"

"Duck!"

Chris rolled out of the way as the third flash grenade went off. The two Regenerators screamed, leaning way, way back. Grabbing his sister's hand, Chris forced her to run with him as they went down to the corridor that led to the dump. As they closed the door behind them, the two gave a involuntary shudder.

"Note to self. Whenever we come across those freaks again, don't fight. Run. Run very fast. " Claire panted.

"I agree." Chris squeaked. "They were some tuft boogie men."

"No arguements there."

Chris heard Claire yelp as she attempted to apply pressure on her injured leg. Instantly, he was down and looking at the bandaged limb. Some fresh blood was there, but not soaking the bandages. Looks like the herbs were doing their work.

"Want to take a breather?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling kinda... winded." Claire admitted with an embarrassed nod. Sliding down, the two sat in silence.

"Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think those things know how to open doors?"

Chris's eyes went wide. "You just had to mention that, didn't you?"

Claire smiled sheepishly. Her chest tightened, but not too bad. It felt kinda... constricted, but not much.

"Well, from what I figure it, some zombies can open doors, so why not these things. Come on, let's find some where else to take a breather."

Claire groaned as Chris helped her to her feet. "Remind me to thank Saddler personally for our lovely visit here."

"Oh, I will. And I'll be there to give my personal regards as well."

**R**

Leon and Luis found themselves in some kind of medical/experiment lab. And like the rest of the game, this area seemed empty too. How wrong you are if you think it is. As Leon opens the door where the lab table is, the sound of a door sliding catches his attention. He sees what looks like another Regenerator. Only, weirder. The creature spots them, and it's spikes flare out for a second. Leon quickly backed up, almost knocking Luis down.

"Crap! There's another one.. With spikes!"

"The Iron Maiden." Luis whispered as he and Leon backed all the way to the door. Leon handed Luis the Striker, quickly grabbing the sniper rifle from the strap over his shoulder.

"The Iron Maiden is much harder to kill." Luis explained. "Even when you destroy the parasites, it still doesn't explode like its cousin; not until you do enough damage."

The breathing was closer as the quicker monster appeared just outside the door. Leon raised the weapon, and waited.

The door was busted open by the monster as it entered the small corridor. Leon wasted no time as he fired. The crack in the scope had prevented him to miss a couple of times, but he got the job done. And just as Luis had said, it still kept coming after them, growling and extending its arms with wicked ease.

Luis knew that something had to be done, so he reached for Leon's belt and grabbed a grenade, then threw it at the monster. It screamed as the grenade went off, destroying one of it's legs. Tentacles whipped frantically as it regenerated, though not quite so fast. Leon got the idea and through one of his own. Luis began to fire the heavy Striker as the second grenade went off. Together, the two took out the creature.

Spikes and goo covered the spots in the wall and ground, but the job was done. Leon cocked his head a little as he studied the warm sticky mess on the ground. Bending over, he picked up a card key. Luis read the inscription on it.

"Storage Room Card Key... Huh. That's a weird place to put the key to Ashley's cell."

Leon nodded. "Don't question it. That's my new motto. Just go with the flow."

"Well, let's go-"

"Let's look around. This is a lab. There should be some more medical supplies, and maybe some more... medicine."

"How much do you got left?" Luis asked as he followed Leon toward the specimen area.

Leon looked grim as he answered. "Just enough for one of us. I'm thinking of giving one pill to Sheila, and one to Ashley. Will only one pill be enough for them, you think?"

Luis nodded. "Yes. Maybe we'll find some more medicine. I do remember experimenting on the cure in this particular lab."

"Among other things." Leon commented, tapping on one circular glass valve containing some lumps of flesh and tentacles.

"Sadly, yes." Luis replied as he rummaged around. After a short but intense search, they found some herbs, more bandages, and a small sample of the pills. There was four in the bottle.

"Ai, yi yi! Four? Sorry Leon."

"Hey, every little bit helps." Leon replied.

As the two began to leave, Leon pointed to another door in the small hall next to the lab. "Where does that lead to?"

Luis's expression lit up. "I think that leads to... the control tower!"

The two looked at each other, then quickly ran out the door. Crows scattered from their intrusion into the outside, but it was worth it. The merchant winked at them as they ran half way down the small bridge.

"Good to see you two alive, strangers. Did you find the girls?"

"Yes. They're both fine." Leon explained. "Ones locked up while the other is keeping her company as we scout out the area."

"Good. I also have some good news for the two of you. I've seen and sold some things to Zombie Killer and his sister. I think it shouldn't be long before you reunite."

Leon grinned as Luis sighed with relief. After buying some more grenades, the two ran over to the tower, taking the small lift up. It creaked and groaned, but didn't stall out. As the two stepped out, they notices the thick dusty layer covering the tower's glass windows.

"Looks like nobody has been here for quite a while." Luis said as they headed for the door. "Hopefully it works still."

Upon entering, their hopes diminished slightly as yet more dust covered the old control station. Running over, Leon looked over his shoulder at Luis, and tried to smile encouragingly.

"Cross your fingers."

Turning on the radio, lots of static filled the silent, still air. Reaching over for the speaker, Leon rotated the knob till he found a clearer channel.

"Hunnigan, anyone, do you read? This is agent Leon Kennedy, calling for backup. Do you copy that?"

Nothing. Leon attempted again. "Repeat, we need backup, asap. There is six of us, counting the subject of rescue. We need immediate evacuation, over."

Leon quickly gave the coordinates and the name of the island. Yet still, he only got some slight static. Leon slammed his fist on the controls. "Damn!"

"Do you think anyone heard you?"

Leon pursed his lips and shrugged. "Hard to tell. Maybe, maybe not. The scrambling they got going seems less way up here, but I can't be sure. We might as well keep being used to being alone out here."

Luis nodded. Leon then added, "And don't tell anyone that we made the call. I don't want to get their hopes up."

**R**

Sheila heard Ashley gasp as they heard the door slam. It sounded like it came from the opposite end, which crossed the two men from the list. Sheila gripped tightly onto the Blacktails handle, slowly edging her way over. Her heart was pounding faster and faster as the sound of footsteps came closer. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sheila leaped into view and aimed the gun straight into Chris's astonished face.

"Whoa! Don't shoot, Red!"

"Aah! You guys!" Sheila squealed, wrapping her arms around Chris's waist as Claire rubbed Sheila's slightly, slimy head.

"Where's Ashley?" Claire asked.

"Over here!"

Sheila led them over to Ashley's cell. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of Chris and Claire.

"Oh! You're okay!"

"Uh, I'm not so sure about that." Sheila said, looking down at Claire's bandaged calf. "How that happen?"

"Long story. First of all, where's Leon and Luis?" Chris asked, looking around. "Did they leave you guys here by yourselves?"

"They went to find the key to Ashley's cell." Sheila explained. "I volunteered to stay. Too tired to keep going."

Claire nodded leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Me too."

"Well, lucky for you two, me and Claire killed a bunch of Ganados that were on their way here. Looks like Leon and Luis caused quite a disturbance."

"I helped." Sheila said proudly. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, knowing you."

Their little chit chat was cut to an end as Leon and Luis appeared. After some hugs and 'Are you alright?" questions, Leon showed Ashley the gooey key. Sheila grimaced. Yeah, the Iron Maiden seemed to be just as gooey as the Regenerators.

Sliding the key card in place, the jail cell opened. Leon opened the door, only to find himself suddenly being enveloped by a very happy blond. After coaching the crying girl off of him, he and the others filed inside the cell, checking her out and asking if she was hurt. Of course she was fine, and seemed genuinely glad that everyone was back together again. A breeze blew in the storage room, carrying a paper airplane with it. Claire caught it, and opened it. She frowned at the lip stick kiss on it, clearly from Ada.

"Here. It's for you."

Leon took the letter and read it. He and Claire shared a look. "There's going to be no way for you to make it."

"I'm better than I was." Claire argued. The others still had no clue what the letter was about, except for Sheila.

"Not from where I'm standing."

"Leon, there's no other option. Our quickest and only way out of here is by what Ada said in her letter. I'll just have to... be careful."

"Okay, what are you two talking about?" Chris demanded.

Leon gave him the letter. After reading it, he gave it to Luis, who in turn gave a disgusted snort. They wisely didn't give it to the curious blond, knowing what her view and answer would be.

"Claire's right." Chris said after thinking about it. "She'll have to... perform like the rest of us. Maybe butt first."

"Butt first?" Ashley repeated with a frown.

"Whatever, can we just go, please? While I'm young." Sheila said impatiently. Although Chris and Claire prevented the Ganados that would have attacked them when exiting the storage room, she still wasn't willing to tempt fate... Again.

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Leon reluctantly said, giving Claire a concerned look.

The group back tracked all the way to the dump sight. Thanks to Claire and Chris, they were now ahead of schedule of the game, not having to deal with a mob of Ganados. Sheila felt her stomach twist in knots as they looked over the ledge. Ashley covered her nose, looking down with a clear disgusted look.

"Ew! It stinks!"

"Sure does." Leon commented, then smiled at the blond. Her eyes widened as she finally realized what the discussion a little bit earlier was about.

"You can't be serious! I am not going down there!"

Leon grabbed Claire suddenly, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Actually, you are."

To Ashley's surprise, Chris grabbed her arm and dragged her with him as he leaped off the ledge. Ashley's screams could be heard as they fell down into the darkness below. A well muffled, 'Jerk!' was heard after they landed.

"You're next, Sheila." Leon ordered. Sheila grinned as Luis grabbed her hand and winked at her.

"Shall we, beautiful?"

"Oh, definitely yes!"

The two leaped off the ledge as Leon told the others to look out below. They heard Sheila's giggles as she and Luis called for the two to hurry up. Leon placed his slightly whiskery cheek against Claire's smooth one.

"You ready for this, Redfield?"

Claire felt her heart skip a beat at the close, intimate contact between them. She tried to keep her voice even as she leaned back in his arms, snuggling her cheek against his.

"More than you know."

Smiling, Leon turned themselves around where his back was facing the open space. "One... Two..."

Leon suddenly fell back with a wicked chuckled, Claire screamed. They fell with a thud on the squishy trash. Leon had took the most impact, protecting Claire from anything too hard on her injured body. It took him a minute to catch his breath, but he finally did, releasing Claire's struggling body.

"You forgot to say three!" Claire complained. Leon grinned as he slowly sat up with a groan.

"Three."

"Hey, what's that?" Ashley asked as she pointed to the lumpy object next to the couple. Sheila already had her hand ready on the gate lever, knowing exactly what it was.

"Oh, crap! Come on!" Leon said as he sprang into action, dragging Claire off the pile of trash. The being suddenly came awake, looking at the intruders.

"The Iron Maiden!" Sheila groaned.

* * *

**A/N: **It has been along, long, long, long, long, long time, hasn't it? Sorry. I've been busy, not to mention having computer problems the last time I posted for this story. Good news though. I got a brand new computer that shouldn't give me any more problems! Of course, publishing won't be as quick because I am really busy, not to mention caught up in a another particular story of mine. But no worries! I will never forget about this story, it is my first after all. As for the other Res fics, they'll be updated to. Any how, thanks for sticking with me so far everyone!


	36. Chapter 35:Snap, Crackle, Pop! Watch 'em

**A/N: **Attention all readers! I am posting the poll on the merchants theories! At long last, you, the reader, can ultimately decide which theory concerning just how the merchant gets around becomes true. Since there is a lot of theories, you may choose more than one. At the end of the chapter, I'll show you the choices if you don't want to go check out my poll... I would prefer if you went and checked the poll... (smiles evily)

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist in Reality**

**Chapter 35: Snap, Crackle, Pop! Watch 'Em Drop!**

The Iron Maiden was definitely not dead. It's shiny, slimy spikes extracted for a few seconds as it let out a shriek that almost turned Sheila's red hair white. Almost is the key word here, folks. Luis, noticing the red head just standing there like a lump on a log, clutching the lever with a death grip, sprung into action. Wrapping his hand around the lever as well, he quickly pushed up, opening the gate.

There was no time for the two professionals to draw their guns. Instead, Leon and Chris put an arm each around the lovely Claire, and holstered her up while they followed the others through the gate. This time, Sheila didn't freeze up as she closed the gate. The monster hissed as it did it's famous walk toward the closed gate, it's spikes extracting again.

"Girls, get in the dumpster." Chris ordered.

Sheila and Ashley quickly did as they were told while Claire reluctantly was placed in there by the meddling two worry warts. All three gave a shaky smile up at the men. Leon whispered for the women folk to stay quiet, then he closed the lid and followed Chris and Luis out the other open gate. After Leon got his sniper rifle ready and Chris and Luis got the grenades out, the gate was closed.

Sheila couldn't stop shivering, not all due to the chilled damp air in the metal dumpster. To her ears, her breathing sounded just as loud as the Iron Maiden's. Only, less weird. The loud clanging sound of the monster banging against the bars of the gate startled all three as they sat in the darkness. Doubt creep-ed in as the the monster roared with frustration with each _clank! Clank! _Gun fire soon followed. The rifle was loud, yet clearly welcome. It was all Sheila could do to stop herself from cheering Leon on.

The sound of metal groaning was eerie and knew to Sheila. Ignoring Claire and Ashley's whispered pleas, Sheila slowly and slightly opened the green dumpster metal lid. Unlike the game, this freak didn't figure out to use the lever. Instead, it beat and pulled on the rusted bars till they began to bend sideways, then out. Once the Maiden made the opening large enough, it crept in gracefully, it's spikes on its head seemingly rippling with pleasure. It began it's eerie walk toward the men on the opposite of the other gate.

Leon stopped to reload, taking his time. Chris and Luis didn't look so happy about that.

"Kennedy, what the-"

"That barrel is a flammable one, right?"

"What?"

"Luis, are those gasoline barrels still used recently?"

"I suppose. Why ask that _now_?"

"Old gasoline isn't flammable once it doesn't have fumes anymore. In reality, the fumes is what actually starts fires and explosions. One spark near fresh gasoline and you're dead. " Leon replied calmy as he carefully aimed again, looking through his Infrared scope. "If this is recent, then all we have to do is ignite it once the damn thing gets close which right now would be a good time, guys."

"Oh." Chris said as he pulled the pin and threw the grenade at the red barrel.

Apparently, the gas was new because a giant fire ball engulfed the Iron Maiden as the barrel exploded. It roared and almost toppled over. Lots of the tentacles erupted as it tried to repair it's damaged flesh. Leon fired again as Luis threw his grenade. It's body began to swell as spikes extract with vigour. Then_... KABOOM_!

"I guess it was new." Luis muttered as Leon opened the gate. Leon whistled, letting the ladies know that all was well for the present time.

"Wait!" Sheila exclaimed loudly as she grabbed Ashley's arm. "Um, maybe you guys should check the rest of the area out.. You know, just in case there are more of those things."

"Yeah, I guess that would be the smartest thing to do." Leon said after some thought. "Just lay low until we give you the signal."

With a sigh of relief, Sheila and the others settled back in the smelly dumpster.

"Hm, I wander if this is another _intuition_." Luis remarked casually.

"Don't start." said Leon. "She's right. I should have thought of that."

It didn't take long for the three to push the dumpster container into the empty space in the sewage, completing the makeshift bridge. Since Leon had the special scope, he took the lead while Chris and Luis followed closely with a grenade each. The lighting was dim, but it wasn't hard to find the creature, what with the heavy breathing. Nothing needed to be said as they began to take down the creature. Several bullets and a grenade or two later, the monster was exterminated. Checking out the rest of the area showed that all was well.

Luis quickly began to track back to get the women folk. As he crossed the metal dumpsters across the sewage, another unlucky moment happened to our dear Spaniard. Taking into consideration that he's supposed to be dead, not running around with Leon, well, you can see why it seems that the game is trying to kill him. Or the grim reaper. Whatever it was, it now decided to take another shot at poor Luis.

Bursting from the stinky sewage came one of the soldiers that Sheila had dropped with her crane. In place of his head was the fully grown parasite.

Hearing Luis's screams, Leon and Chris rushed back. The parasite hissed as it tried to yank him inside the filth with it. It only succeeded partly due to Chris and Leon's quick actions. With both legs half inside the murky liquid, the two men were holding on to Luis's upper half of his body, having sort of a tug of war with the Las Plagas. It took all of their strength to keep a hold of what they got as the strong specimen pulled effortlessly.

Sheila, Claire and Ashley were now out and watching dumbstruck as Chris and Leon fought for Luis's life, who was previously cursing rapidly in Spanish. Seeing that neither men could spare one hand to grab his weopan, Claire hobbled over to the opening, with Sheila and Ashley following closely behind. Sheila took out the Blacktail that was loaned to her by Leon, and aimed. Luis managed to get a glimpse of the red head and the gun, his eyes growing wide.

"No! Don't shoot!"

Who could blame the guy? Sheila wasn't an expert marksman after all. She knew that, but the tone in his voice had her more determined to try and save him, even if he didn't want her to. Claire, thankfully, told the guys to close their eyes as she threw the flash grenade at the monster. The monster screamed, releasing Luis as it fell back. Luis was quickly pulled fully back on top of the dumpster.

The guys laid their in a daze, recuperating from the flash grenade. The girls went and helped them back to their feet. Ashley crinkled her nose as she stepped back from Luis. The Spaniard sighed as he looked down at his pants and shoes. He refused to let his mind dwell on the fact about the sewage and what was in it. Looking on the more positive side of life would do... If he could find what was so positive on having sewage soaked into your socks, shoes, and the lower portion of your pant legs.

"Is it just me, or does the Grim Reaper have something against you?" Sheila half jockingly asked. Her chuckles quickly died out as silence dominated the moment.

"Sometimes I wander." Luis admitted. "I wander..."

As if an answer to the puzzle, the grown, spider like parasite crawled out of the murkey sewage. It lined its sites on Luis, then leaped in the air. A couple of shots was heard. The creature fell to the ground, then melted. All eyes turned to Claire, who was holding Sheila's smoking, borrowed gun. Sheila's eyes were glazed over with hero worship as she grinned.

"Claire, you're an insperation to all of the female race."

**R**

GV-23 sat alone in his tiny room, staring off into space. His dark eyes seemingly seeing nothing. To the observers who watched him through the two way mirror, he was doing just as he was programmed to do. He was nothing but a weapon, a shell of the young man that had died. The only one who knew that Steve Burnside was still in there, was himself and Heath. Though the young, arrogant scientist thought it was just memories, mimicked of a life gone by, much like the zombies who could open a door occasionally, performing a task that was somehow left in the remnants of its brain.

But Steve was still there, lost, and alone. He didn't remember who he was during his wakeful hours, but in sleep his soul alowed memories to merge with dreams. How he wanted to sleep now, to go back to the forgotten dreams! But he couldn't allow himself the luxury. Something was up. His inhuman eyes briefly glanced at the clock. It was far too early to be awake, yet, he wasn't tired in the least. The virus within him kept him rejuvenated, especially after a training exercise he just went through. The power that literally coursed through his veins was intoxicating. Yet, with all that power, he was still just someone else's weapon. Good for so long till a bigger, better weapon was made.

His locked door slid open, catching his cold, one tracked mind. Two men entered, one elderly and the other young, like him. The young, slim man with the large glasses smiled st him as two more people entered, dressed in black tactical suits and armed with machine guns. The Umbrella signia stitched on their arms faintly resignated within GV-23.

"Good morning, GV-23. I know it's too early to discuss things, but orders are orders. It's time for you to get ready for your first field assignment."

GV-23 said nothing as his black eyes watched the young man, not blinking. The older man in the white lab coat gulped. "Let's make this quick, Heath."

Without taking his eyes off of the Bio weapon, young Heath smirked. "Don't worry, Jones. GV-23 won't attack us. That chip in his head keeps him... How should I say this... docile. Well, until he's been given a direct order. The wanders of technology!"

Jones didn't look convinced, but as far as orders go, they had some that came directly from Albert Wesker. Taking a deep breath, the elderly scientist walked over and began to take the young monstrosity's blood pressure. Heath Cliff was busy scribbling notes down on his clip board. Despite the late (or early hours) Heath felt so energised with excitement that he just knew that after the experiment and Wesker leaves, there will be no going back to sleep for him. That was why he personally volunteered to be one of those who would be keeping track of them as they went on their field exercises, not to mention picking up Ada from her mission... IF she lives that is.

"Blood pressures high-"

"That's normal for him." Heath replied, rolling his eyes.

Jones ignored the sarcasm as he took out a tiny flash light and moved it back and forth across the red head's black eyes.

"Well, he's alert enough, can't tell if pupils dilate due to the coloration of the eyes. I have to admit, he's pretty focused for someone who only slept for one or two hours."

"It's the virus. His metabolism has accelerated more since that training exercise. The miracle of it all is that any further mutation will be slim. Looks like the data from Alexia Ashford combined with my brain came in handy after all."

GV-23's eyes shifted up to look at the mad scientist's face. That name... So familiar. Flashes of a beautiful woman began to flicker in the deepest regions of his mind. A gorgeous women standing over him, her long blond hair that could be almost described as white, flowed down in waves, caressing her crimson dress. Her lips curled into a sadistic grin as she pulls out something from behind her. The light from the ceiling sparkles on the shots thin needle. Her blue eyes, so very much like her dead brother's, looks down at him with hate and almost satanic glee.

"Father was too weak for my creation. Though the coward proved useful for study of my beautiful virus. Let's see if you're made of better genetic material then he was."

As young Steve began to be swept up in his horrific memories, the chip performed in it's duties. The only one who notice a slight difference in Steve's demeanor for the moment of memories resurfacing, was the scientist Jones. Those death like black orbs had flickered to his natural green state. Then they returned to the bottomless pits.

Jones blue eyes met Heath's brown confused ones. "What?"

Being a man who took his job seriously, Jones would immediately be the one who sound the alarm. But, from a previous conversation before with the young brat scientist, his old but very clear mind refused to let his mouth voice his concerns. Heath already knew the dangers of a subject with any kind of human memories, how unstable they could become. Clearing his throat, Jones came to a decision. Let young Heath Cliff carry on with his arrogant ways, it was high time for his fall to come. Suppressing a shiver of pleasure, Jones stood up and nodded at the impatient young man.

"I say this freak show is ready."

Heath snorted. "Of course he is! GV-23 is more than capable for what Mr. Wesker has in mind for him. Now, if you're done wasting my time, I will be getting it ready."

Jones smiled as he left them. What was that old bible verse that his mother taught him as a child?... Pride goes before the fall. When operation B.O.W. is in motion, he'll be there to watch Heath's world come crashing down upon him.

**R**

The Ganados on the way to the Incinerator room was easily taken down. Once Leon and Luis popped a few heads, the injured Claire threw a flash grenade to finish them off. Little was spoken as they climbed into the cylinder chamber in the next room. Now, the others looked out through the broken giant fan into the heated room of the Incinerator. A large circular pit of the hot steaming liquid caused sweating to be an issue. Wiping the sweat from around his eyes, Leon looked around the empty chamber. All was quiet... Too quiet for comfort.

He jumped down, Striker ready. Seeing nothing, though he definitely was sensing that he was being watched, the agent warily signaled for the others to join him. Luis, Ashley, Sheila, then Chris and Claire came down. He sighed as he pointed at the basement passage. It was blocked, but lucky for them, that good ol' wrecking ball was there.

Sheila tensed as they began to walk toward the control room. On cue, the crazed soldier Ganados burst inside the room through a door from the right. Sheila's covered her ears as Leon fired his Striker shotgun. The blasts combined with Luis's red-nine and the Blacktail that Claire confiscated from Sheila earlier was enough to get both her and Ashley running toward their destination. Sheila got a good glimpse from over her shoulder as some of Leon's blasts from his gun sent the bad guys into the burning pit. Soon, the rest followed to what seemed to be a bad spot to be. From both sides, Ganados and those scary spiked Ganados entered the control room from both sides.

"How do you work this thing!" Ashley screamed as she looked over the controls.

Without a single word, Sheila pulled on the lever on the right side. The huge wrecking ball slowly lifted, then swung across the room. Everything vibrated as the ball connected with the blockage.

"Damn! It didn't work!" Chris spat out before shooting one of the Ganado's in the knee cap. The dirtied soldier fell to his knees with a grun. Chris quickly kicked the creep out of the control room. "There's too many of them!"

Sheila tried reusing the lever. Too her disappointment, the same time frame as before in the game seemed to be the same in reality. "Dang it!"

"Give it some time," Leon shouted as he shot at one of the spiked, armored jerks as he filled the right door on the side of the control room. Being shot in the head made the big lug stumble back.

With a growl, the bald Ganado launched himself in the cramp quarters of the control room, knocking Leon back against the wall. Chris tried to intervene, but wound up being knocked out of the protection of the control room and into the throng of the Ganados. Grabbing Sheila, who was waiting for the stupid wrecking ball to back up, was grabbed yet again by her hair and lifted up high. Taking Ashely under his other massive arm, the Hercules wanna-be began to trot toward the door the ganados came from.

"No! This isn't how it's supposed to go you idiot!" Sheila screamed, kicking her feet in the air as she was carried out by her hair, cave man style.

Shots were heard, the armored lug nut grunted as he stumbled, then fell down on one knee. Sheila caught a glimpse of one of his knees, the knee cap was destroyed from the bullets. The Ganado's head blew up as Chris pointed the weapon point blank at the large Ganados head and fired. Ashley and Sheila were both released as he disintegrated. But the danger was far from over.

Sheila took out a knife from her boot, though inwardly she knew that there was no way she could inflict any damage, not like Leon anyways. Chris ordered for her and Ashley to grab some Blacktail magazine from his pockets. Quickly they did, that way, when he had to reload, the girls had it ready to lock and load.

With the three of them now the targets for all the Ganados, Leon, Luis, and Claire covered them with open fire. But as the famous Chris Redfield predicted, there was just too many to really do any damage. Seeing that something had to be done, and soon, Claire pulled on the lever again. The wrecking ball swung down with a groan, directly toward the three.

"Oh crap, get down!" Chris shouted as he pushed the girls down, then lying down as well.

The ball swung over them, the breeze ruffling their clothes and hair. With a loud boom, ball connected with the last remnants of the blockage. The basement door was now accessible. Without a second word, Chris forced the girls up and dragged them toward the doors. Leon and Luis followed while helping Claire move quickly. By some miracle, they made it to the door. As they ran in, the rest of the unstable rubble from above collapsed, almost crushing poor Luis in the process.

Panting for air, the group looked behind them. Nothing but rubble was left. For now, it seemed that they were safe.

"How long do you think that will keep them out?" Luis asked.

"Don't know. But I'm not sticking around to find out." Leon replied.

Knowing what laid ahead, Sheila knew that finding safety first for her and Ashely was a must. With two Regenerators in this basement passage, the odds of her and the blond wander getting in the way was very high. Besides, she had enough of Regenerators and their cousins, the Iron Maiden, for a life time.

"Can we catch our breath first?"

"Yes, catching... breath... sounds nice." Claire gasped. Chris was instantly by her side.

Concerned, Leon nodded. "Over there, in that room. Let me check it out first."

Sheila moaned with frustration. "It's fine! The Regenertor ain't in there!"

Not caring aobut that little blunder, Sheila stumbled toward the west room. The others fallowed, Chris carried Claire who by now was finding it difficult breathing.

"See? No freaks in here... Well, other than Blondie, that is."

"Hey!"

"What did we say earlier about you not following orders?"

"Technically, you didn't give me an order, Leon."

"Claire!"

The little spat between the red head and video game character was interrupted as Chris set his baby sister on one of the crates in the back. Her face was turning red as she gasped for air, clutching her chest. She was sweating horribly as she let out a short scream of pain.

"My chest! Oh God, it burns!"

Luis shoved Chris over as he told him and Leon to grab her arms as she began to convulse.

"She can't be!" Leon exclaimed, as Claire went through the motions of being one of the infected. "Saddler couldn't have-"

"Who cares the when or how! Give me one of those pills!" Luis ordered.

Leon released one of Claire's arm and pulled out the bottle of pills. With shaking hands, he managed to open the bottle and get a pill out. Luis grabbed it and forced Claire's clenched mouth to open. She chocked and tried to spit out the offending medicine, but together with Chris and Leon, Luis managed to get the young woman to swallow. Claire nearly jerked off the crates as she began to move wildly. Then, just as sudden as the convulsions began, they stopped. Her breathing was ragged as she slowly relaxed, her blue eyes closed with exhaustion.

"Luis..."

The Spaniard looked at the older brother. Chris's face was almost ashen as he gazed at Claire's pasty complexion.

"I honestly don't know how, other than maybe during the time of one of her abductions..." Luis's voice trailed off. "Salazar did tell us that he... that they... She would become one.. of them."

Leon looked at the two quiet younger women, and asked grimly, "Girls, do you remember anything during your time alone with Salazar at the castle that might explain this?"

Both shook their heads. Sheila felt horrible. "I... I don't remember exactly. When Ashley and I were meeting Salazar's precious queen freak, things kinda went... blurry. Hazy. Ashley, you?"

"Sorry, same here." Ashley answered mournfully.

"It was after you girls were... whatever that thing did to you." Claire whispered, her eyes still closed. "I remember it perfectly now, though strangely, it comes and goes. The pain, that little creep gloating over me as that... that monster stuck it's tentacle in my neck. Then.. Then... How could I forget that?"

"Claire, shh. It's alright. Don't cry." Chris whispered, cradling her limp body as she sat up. As she baried her face in his broad shoulder, his eyes met Luis's in a silent question. Luis shrugged, shaking his head. Who knew if they stopped the parasite from hatching. Only time will tell.

"I'm sorry! I was going to tell all of you, but with all the life and death situations and pain, I really did forget."

The sound of the shutter door outside in the basement passage way was faintly heard. Nobody paid much attention as they tried to wrap their mind around this new predicament. It wasn't till the tell tell sign of heavy breathing outside the door with the bars covering window did they notice something wasn't right. Turning around, Ashley and Sheila squealed as the door was slammed open.

"Oh, sh-t!" Leon hissed as he handed Chris his Striker as he prepared his Sniper rifle.

Chris aimed the weapon and fired, agitating Mr. Chomp-Chomp. Leon quickly took his position beside his friend while ordering Luis to stay with the women folk, just in case he and Chris couldn't take it down. With rednine in his hand, Luis waited, ready to fight. Sheila shivered as she pulled herself up on the crates with Claire, glad that the rest of the junk in the room kept the sight of the Regenerator blocked. Claire weakly put an arm around her shoulders, her breathing still ragid. The shots continued till the sound of the Regenerator exploding filled the room.

"God, I hope that's the last one I see." Chris announced hoarsely.

"Don't count on it." Sheila grumbled. Claire didn't seem to pay attention to that little slip.

Chris walked back to the back of the room, face still slightly pale. "Luis, stay here while Leon and I scout out the rest of the area."

"Take this." Luis said as he tossed a flash grenade.

With a deep sigh, Chris left them in the room as he joined Leon for the hunt. Running down the south passage, they stopped when hearing that icky, wheezing perverted sound. Sharing a look with the agent, both braced themselves to the task at hand. The Regenerator soon came into view, it's hypnotic dance causing an eerie shadow on the tunnel's wall. Leon tapped him on the shoulder, nodding back. Chris nodded and quickly retreated down the other path up north. Kicking the door open, both entered backwards as they waited. The door was kicked open by the unwelcome intruder not much time later. The loud crackling sound of Leon's Sniper rifle had his own ears ringing, but that didn't stop Chris. He played his part well. Throwing the flash grenade, both men turned their heads as the bright flash filled the room.

The Regenerator gave an eerie howl as it literally doubled over backwards, a move that would have any contortionist to wince. Chris calmly aimed hithe Striker and resumed firing at any part of the disgusting freak. Leon kept up on eliminating the camouflaged parasites. Once the last parasite was destroyed, the Regenerator began to swell rapidly, the tell-tell sign of the coming explosion. Brown and yellows goop splattered the walls, some of witch landed on their shoes. Chris shivered as the monster's lower half continued a few steps, then disintegrated.

"You know, after all I've seen and experianced, watching that bag of puss explode is just... wrong."

Chris heard his friend chuckled, patting him on the back while taking his Striker back.

"Yeah, well, be grateful that you weren't right next to the creep."

Chris eyed Leon's appearance from head to toe, not to mention the smell that came from him. "I wasn't goin' to say anything."

Leon shrugged. "Well, it's better than being covered by zombie parts."

Chris nodded, smiling, despite the fatigue that suddenly gripped him. It's been over twenty four hours without sleep. He hoped this journey would soon be over before he collapses all together.

"Come on, let's get outta here." Chris said as he forced himself to jog out of the room. Leon followed closely. Their path was soon halted when reaching the south end. A shudder blocks any further traveling. Leon pressed the button beside it, but nothing happened.

"It's locked." Leon muttered.

"There must be a switch or something." Chris looked around. "I'll go back to the room to look around."

Chris's mind instantly went back to his sister as he searched for the button. How could she forget about what happened to her? Why didn't she tell him right away? Sure, he gets how this thing can really mess with your brain, hell, even Leon didn't know until he started having convulsions. He knew that blaming Claire for something that was out of her control was wrong. In fact, he didn't blame her, but the anger of the hopelessness of the situation just wouldn't fade away. Did they get the medicine in her system on time? Or did the monster hatch? Punching the cement wall, Chris allowed himself to concentrate on the physical pain then the emotions that was threatening to choke him.

Counting to ten, he managed to put a lid on his growing rage that had started when Sheila was kidnapped. Justice will come for those who screwed around with nature and all that crap. Salazar got what he deserved, and Saddler would soon face the same fate. That tiny vow itself had his head clearing enough to notice the very noticeable switch in the southeast corner of the room. After pressing it, he called out to Leon as he went back to check on the others.

Upon entering the room, he heard whispering. Quietly, he crept to the back of the room. The tightness in his chest eased more when seeing more color in Claire's face, though she still looked tired and pale. Sheila had her head lying on her shoulder as Ashley was on the other side in the same position. Chris smiled. His sister always had a knack with younger people and children. Just like their mother, Claire could make a two year old in a full grown tantrum suddenly stop and sigh with contentment. One day, he knew that she would be the best mother that lucky kid or kids ever had. That is if she doesn't...

Claire's eyes found his, looking relieved to see him whole and not dead. "I guess you two took care of the nastiness?"

Chris nodded. "Yup... Has Luis here been a good boy?"

"A perfect gentleman." Sheila giggled, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Where's Leon?" Ashely asked, trying to find that elusive Kennedy.

"Waiting for us. You feeling up to move?"

Claire rolled her eyes as she slid off the crates. "As much as somebody who's got an injured leg and possibly a... Well, I'm ready."

The girls left, with Chris and Luis lagging behind. Chris leaned up against the crates, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. "What's the verdict, Sera?"

"I'm not sure. Usually, the sign of the egg hatching is convulsions and spitting up blood. With Claire, there's no blood showing up... yet."

"And that means?.."

"It means that we won't know for sure if we gave her the medicine on time untill her condition worsens or not."

"Well, that's just dandy!" Chris exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air as he began to pace.

"Look, Redfield, I can't give a diagnosis without the proper equipment. And besides that, the medication may not work if she is too far along. Either way-"

"She becomes one of them? Just like Sheila, Leon, and-"

"I told you much earlier that I might can cure them with my special machine on the base. We won't know for sure till we get there."

"Are you guys coming or not?"

Chris looked at the door as Sheila's screeching echo had them both wincing. "We don't have much time... do we?"

"Time's against us. Always has been."

"Wow... Did you read that off of a fortune cookie?"

Luis snorted, following Chris out. As they rounded the the last corner, they managed to see Ashley crawling under the partially up shutter. Seconds later, the shutter was opened. The blond smiled dreamily as Leon patted her on the shoulder for her cooperation.

Chris noticed as Sheila immediatly headed for the door in the southwest side of the room. "Sheila?"

Opening the door, she gave everyone a pleased grin. "Hey, Mysterious Merchant guy, what's happenin'?"

**R**

GV-23 looked at himself in the two way mirror. He wore a simple black tactical shirt that hugged all his muscles and muscular chest. No body armor for him, considering his regenerating genes could take care of any knife or bullet wound. In fact, losing a limb wouldn't even slow him down. His black jeans was just as simple. You could say that he looked like a normal twentish guy, especially since that pale tint of green seemed to have vanished. But we all know that Steve (aka GV-23) will never be normal ever again.

"Your weopans will be ready for you once you've landed." Heath explained as he hooked up Steve's leg weopan hoslters to his thighs. "Of course, Wesker may want to see hand to hand combat first. Whatever the man in black is in the mood for, you'll be doing it."

Steve cocked his head as he checked out his equipment. Some more gun holsters, ones that cops wore under their coats in the movies was applied. Whatever was going on, today was the big day for something big and testing. Everyone was buzzing in the wee hours of the morning. His body tensed as he thought about the thrill of the kill. What would they have him hunt today? Thoughts like that were reigned in by the chip in his brain. Too much emotion would be a hazard after all. But even that chip couldn't stop all feelings, not the ones buried so deep that even Steve himself couldn't yet reach or acknowledge them.

"There! Now you're looking more like a soldier." Heath sighed with pride. "But don't forget GV-23, you're better than that."

_I'm better than that._

"That's why I refused to have you garbed up in that cliche Umbrella uniform. No offense, boys."

The two guards neither acknowledged or cared what the scientist said.

"No, that tactical armor and crap would only get in your way. You don't need all that stuff that the frail humans need."

_Humans?_

"And if Wesker decides that he wants to see your full potential, then any of these clothes won't be an issue." Heath chuckled. "Now, I'm going to leave you to rest. You're leaving in about... ten to fifteen minutes. Make me proud as you kill and destroy, GV-23."

_Kill... Destroy..._

Heath and the two mysterious soldiers left our poor BOW weapon in the dark. For awhile, he stood there and gazed at himself. The killing machine breifly wandered who he was? A freak? A man? Both? A pang of loneliness washed over him. Even monsters felt the icy chill at times of being alone and feared. For this monster, he didn't relish in that fact.

Shaking his head, he went back to his bed, lying down, keeping his new combat boots on. He closed his eyes and rested, for sleep wouldn't come.

**R**

"Can I have the gun back, Claire?"

"Oh, sorry. There you go."

"Hey, you already have one!"

Claire smirked at the red head. "Sorry, my brain went out the window when that thing came out of that sewage."

Sheila grumbled, hating how for some reason, nobody like her handling a gun. Sure, she's tired and her aim probably wouldn't be that good, but dang it! She needed something for when Saddler makes his stinkin' appearance!

"I'll be taking that back, thank you." Leon replied as he took his gun from her.

"Hey!"

"I'll sell ya one for half price, little Stranger."

Sheila glared at the merchant. "Half price? How about for free?"

"Ha! Sorry, lass, but my time of giving anything for free is over."

Grumbling, Sheila managed to buy the 9 mm handgun, along with a box of ammo. It took all that she had left of the pesetas, but at least she had something other than that pocket knife.

"Since you're determined to take all of my money, can you at least give me a hint on how you just pop up out of the blue like this?"

The merchant chuckled as Chris dragged her out of the room. So much for info. But time was wasting. Sheila yawned as Leon and Luis figured out that trick with the levers and the big metal gate. She inwardly chuckled when Leon became a little too hasty. The second try was succesful. The guys did a quick once over, which wasn't needed. The area with the bulldozer was clear.

"Man, now this is what I'm talking about!"

Claire smiled at her brother. "Guess we have transportation now."

"So, who knows how to drive this thing?" Leon joked. Like anyone in this room had experience-

"I do!"

Four shocked pair of eyes turned on the excited blond. Sheila paid no attention as she managed to crawl up into the flatbed, pointing the gun at the President's daughter. Ashley looked down at the laser dot on her chest and scowled.

"Then get up here and drive, cowgirl."

"Don't point that thing at me! Didn't your mother teach you that guns were dangerous?"

Sheila rolled her eyes. "The safety's still on, ya dumb-"

"Shut it, both of you!" Chris grumbled as he put his sister up in the bulldozer's flatbed. Chris joined them, his legs dangling of the edge as he sat. "How much _experience _do you have with a bulldozer, Ashley?"

Swinging back in forth with her hands behind her back, the blond gave a happy giggle. "Well, daddy worked in construction years before he got into politics. Even after being elected President, he would take on projects for the family. Anyways, all my life I would visit him at the site. He'd let me sit in his lap and show me the gears and what did what."

"There's a difference between being shown and actually doing it." Luis spoke up, unsure if he was wanting to let this girl who was barely out of her teens, drive this heavy machinery.

Ashley's brown eyes narrowed with a cold look that could have frozen the ocean. "I did more as I grew old enough. So yeah, I can drive this thing. No problem."

"Hell, she's got my vote." Claire replied. "Leon?"

"I'm not crazy about the idea. That would leave you out in the open if the enemy attacks."

"Oh come on_, Kennedy_. I think she can do it." Sheila retorted. Noticing Leon's icy stare for using his last name like a certain Redfield does, she tried giving him an innocent smile. "I mean, Leon dearest."

"I can do this, Leon." Ashley said confidantly, taking his hand in her own.

Sheila snorted as she laid her head on Chris's broad shoulder. Luis shook his head as he joined them, though sitting all the way at the other side of the flatbed.

Leon sighed with an unsure smile. "Alright, Ashley. But only because none of the rest of us knows how to work this thing."

Grinning, Ashley hurried over and took her place behind the wheel. As Leon joined the others on the flatbed, Ashley turned the big machine on. It's engines roared to life, diesel fuel filling the air. As she popped the clutch, Sheila couldn't resist commenting on this new development.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, buckle your seatbelts 'cause the Peroxide Blond is driving!"

"Shut-up, Sheila!" Ashley growled as the bulldozer jerked forward.

Pulling out of the garage was very tense. Leon and Luis stuck near Ashley, guns raised. Sheila looked over her shoulder and frowned.

"Uh, Leon? You might want to use that TMP of yours."

"Why?"

Sounds of angry shouts was the answer. Ganado soldiers began to invade the tunnel, moving quickly toward the slow moving Bulldozer. Chris's curses filled the air as he quickly scrambled back with Sheila. Guns were drawn as everyone (excluding the driver) fired at the smelly menaces that threatened to ruin their traveling plans. Leon didn't have time to take out that TMP as more Ganados appeared after the first crowd was killed. Many more appeared out of the side area and began to leap inside the truck. Leon and Chris switched from firing their guns to hand to hand combat. Claire and Luis kept the rest at bay. Well, as much as they could. Sheila, managed to nail a few, but they just kept coming.

"Oh God! What's going on back there!"

"Just keep driving!" Leon shouted, breaking the neck of one of the Ganados. He quickly flung the body over board as the parasite imerged.

And just as suddenly as it began, the Ganados stopped their chase.

"Had enough, you bags of-" Chris's little taunt was interrupted by the blast of a truck's horn.

Sheila's blood turned cold as they began to go on the wide curve. Which meant...

"GUYS! LOOK!"

All eyes turned to look at the back as the large, rusty military truck came barrelling up from behind. The Ganados realised their comrade wasn't going to stop even though they were in its path. Many of those Ganados were mowed down by the out of control vehicle as it got closer and closer.

Sheila curled up in a ball as her instincts warned her to do, though she knew (well, hoped) that the others would stop the dangerous collision course that would happen if somebody didn't shoot! Gun fire erupted as Leon opened fire with the Striker. Allowing one peek, Sheila smiled with relief as the vehicle began to blow up as it stalled. The place shook, though it didn't stop the armored bulldozer on it's course.

"Guy's, there's no more road!" Ashley squealed as they entered another room.

"Up there!" Leon said as he pointed at a switch.

Chris leaped down and frantically began to climb the ladder. As always, the Ganados came out on their mark and attacked. Leon urged Chris to hurry as he knocked a Ganado off of Ashley. They were everywhere! Throwing caution to the wind, trying to avoid the head area was no longer an option. If a parasite decided to emerge, then the thing was kicked off and had to eat a flash grenade. Simple.

The ground began to move up, causing the Ganados own attacks to stop. Chris leaped aboard, joining his sister, guns ready. Leon eagerly passed the Striker to Luis as he took out his case and took out the TMP. Loading the weapon, Leon kept his position near Ashley.

"I'll hit 'em high, you get them low."

"Sure thing, cop." Luis replied.

True to his word, Leon fired at those in the high places. A few narrow misses as debris was thrown at them, but none of the tiny band of survivors were majorly hurt. In fact, it seemed that they might just escape. Only Sheila knew that this would not be so. As soon as Ashley tore the metal gate down with the bulldozer, strong blasts of another truck coming filled the air.

All the guns firing at once was deafening. The truck's explosion was much louder, though. As the now lifeless truck came rolling down, Ashley panicked and swerved. The truck collided against the side, sending the bulldozer crashing into the cement walls. Sheila faintly remembered hearing Leon telling everyone to get down as they crashed. Then the world went black yet again.

**R**

"I don't trust her, sir. She's up to something."

"Ada's always up to something, Krauser. That's why she's so useful. Otherwise, I would have killed her long ago." Wesker replied to the computer monitor.

The rivaly between the two was amusing, and efficient in Albert Wesker's eyes. In fact, he actually counted on some sort of confrontation between the two. The chance to see if Krauser would actually go a long way in data was greatly welcomed. What with the T/Veronica-Virus and the Las Plagas combined, Krauser would make yet another invaluable accet to Wesker's collection of freaks. Of course, he didn't tell Ada about that part of Krauser's hunger to be even more powerful. It was something that had to be kept to keep the vixen on her toes.

"She's a liability to the cause, sir. Her history with Leon could put a wrench in the plans."

"Yes, I have heard your misgivings on Ada Wong already. Don't be a broken record, Krauser. I know both the benefits and possible harm our little spy could cause."

Krauser's scarred face looked insulted, even some of the rage began to breach the surface. Wesker sighed on the inside. No, the one who could really cause any damage would be the big, hulk of an ex-soldier. Though he had a fantastic military mind, his emotions could get in the way.

"Besides, friend. She's not the only one with_ history_ with a certain, annoying agent."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Wesker's cold, hard, lips slightly turned into a smirk. "It means that emotions can be a tricky thing. Both of you have some link to Leon. Though in your case, it leans toward competition and jealousy."

"My past is dead, along with any... old grudges."

"Yes, well, let's hope they're not completely dead."

Krauser face crinkled as he looked at Wesker with confusion. "How so?"

Wesker's smirk turned into a malicious smile. "If Leon and his band of heroes get any closer to your location, I want you to personally take care of the problem. Understand?"

Krauser grinned. "Understood, sir."

"But remember, Krauser, I want the siblings alive. Their use has not yet expired."

**R**

Pain... Lot's and lot's of pain... Sheila could feel every part of her body, and those parts were not feeling pain free. Her head in particular. How she wanted to slip back to unconscious, but voices urged her to open her eyes. Those persistent voices that really needed to shut-up! Then something cold was sprayed over her hot, throbbing head. That spray began to sizzle and... and...

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUCH!"

"Hey, she's alive!" Chris joked as he began to bandage her head. She had taken a nasty wound to the side of her forehead. Hence the sticky red wetness dripping down her cheek.

"That hurt!" Sheila growled. She noticed Luis smiling as he put the first aid spray back in Leon's case.

"Pain is good, beautiful. Shows that you're alive." Luis commented.

"Well, right now, I'd rather be dead... Okay, not dead, but dead to the world. As in unconscious."

"Suck it up." Chris replied, finished with gauzing her head. "There. Looks like you have a concussion."

"Great. Now I have two concussions that was caused by Ashley."

"Too bad it wasn't her mouth that was damaged instead." Ashley grumbled as she and Claire helped Leon stand back up.

"Everyone okay?" Leon rasped.

"We're all alive. That's good enough for me." Luis replied.

"Yeah, except for the bulldozer. Looks like our ride is canceled." Chris sighed.

Sheila looked up at Chris as he helped her to to her feet. "I guess we're walking again."

"Are we even close to that machine with the miracle cure of yours?" Claire asked Luis.

Luis sighed. "No... Yes... We still got some ground to cover, I'm afraid."

Leon could only shake his head. "Well, let's do what we do best. Walk."

That was easier said then done. As with all car crash victims, shock is a dangerous enemy. The human body goes through stages when just going through something as traumatic as what they just did. But with the herbs that was passed out, shock was stopped, though their shaking limbs was hard to move as they slowly exited the destroyed room they crashed into.

The next room was a small but kinda clean mess hall. They couldn't help but look through the cubbards for food or water bottles, only to find them empty. This dampened their spirits even more.

"Man, I'm hungry." Sheila whispered, touching her stomach and head gingerly.

"Me too." Leon replied. "I've got maybe... two energy bars left."

Everybody had their eager eyes on Leon as he split those two, small bars between them all. Sadly, the tiny, meager, early breakfast only aroused their hunger even more. Leon passed the canteen of water around, which had to be rationed as well. Sighing, the agent tried to encourage them by saying that they'll get out of there in no time. It didn't work.

"Um, can't we rest a little, Leon?" Sheila asked as she looked at the doors that would lead to yet another kidnapping.

"Sorry, Red, but we can't. That crash will be attracting a lot of attention."

"But... I just... I don't think we should go that way."

"That's our only way, Sheshe." Claire said as she gingerly hugged the teenager. "Don't worry, we're not letting anyone get to the two of you girls again."

Sheila bit her lip as they entered the next room. Last of the moonlight as it slowly began to set gave light into the dim room. As far as the human eye goes, they were alone. But of course, Saddler was waiting for them, still blending in with the shadows. Sheila held on to Claire's hand tighter as they proceed to enter further. Saddler chuckled.

Everyone froze as the predater stepped into the light coming from the windows. In his hand was his living staff. Tentacles were waving back and forth from the top as Saddler smiled at his guests.

"Your performance has been very... admirable. Surviving this far is truly an achievement, my friends. Each of you would be more than welcomed into my new kingdom under normal circumstances."

"Under normal circomstances, you would be in an insane assylum." Leon retorted.

"Ah, still unaccepting my gift, I see. No matter, you're not the one I want."

Eyes turned on the girls. Both were hanging their heads with their eyes closed. Saddler smirked as he raised his free hand.

"Come to me, my dears."

"You can't have them!" Chris growled as he raised his handgun and fired, emptying his gun.

Everyone was silent. Saddler looked down at his body, his robe now filled with bullet holes. Pushing the hood back from his head, the leader of this grotesque monster propaganda looked at his adversaries with annoyance.

"I rather liked that robe."

Suddenly he began to growl, his attention taken away from the girls. Both opened their eyes and looked around them with confusion, as if waking from a dream. Claire told them to back away as Saddler's growl grew. Suddenly, his growls turned into laughter as he raised his hand again, this time dropping all of the bullets that was in his body.

"You've gotta be joking." Chris spat as he and the other three heroes backed away.

"No, this is no joke. As you can see, nothing you do against me will work. I will have the two girls. Ladies?"

"Girls, run!" Claire shouted. But neither of them moved.

Luis tried to push them toward the doors, but what he saw took his breath away. Their eyes were now the same crimson red as with the other Ganados.

"No!" Claire screamed as they began to walk toward Saddler.

Claire tried to grab Sheila's arm, but was quickly stopped as a large tentacle with a boney spike on the tip swatted her away. Luis's eyes bulged, recognizing the tentacle, the one that belonged to Saddler who almost killed him hours earlier. He raised his gun but soon was slammed against the wall by the appendage. It went after Chris so fast that he had no time to fight or recoil. All that was left was Leon.

Leon easily leaped out of the way, fireing with his TMP. But as you and I know, Saddler would get what he wants. Raising his hand towards Leon, he snorted with disgust.

"How can you fight when you are one of us, Leon?"

The agent screamed, clutching his chest. The parasite within wiggled and began to send charges through his entire nervous system. He wasn't even able to brake his fall as he collapsed, howling in pain. This amused Saddler to no end.

"Oh, my dear boy! You cannot defeat me! The parasite within you grows stronger with each passing minute, coming into its full potential. Soon, you will not be able to resist. And when the time comes, you will kill your friends with your bare hands."

"Never!" Leon screamed as he tried to fight.

Saddler chuckled as the girls met him atop the steps. "It's a losing battle, Leon. You will not be able to save your precious country, friends or this toxic world. Not even yourself."

Smiling down at the two, Saddler felt his chest swell with pride. The queen parasites within them were growing normally. No deformities or weaknesses. On other occasions, he would allowed their progress to grow naturally in a nice, sterile environment. But now, with these human bugs that pestered him every step of the way, not to mention that spy that was hanging around the facility, the plan would be altered slightly. It was a gamble to do what he was going to do, but he believed that it would be the best method considering his options.

"Come, my little ones. There is much to do."

Leon looked up and tried to stand, but the pain was just too great. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he felt the waves of despair threaten to overwhelm his optimistic mind. He failed them again.

* * *

**A/N: **And there it is, friends. We're are getting closer and closer to the end. I'm excited about finally finishing this, at long last! Now, as I promised, the theories for you to vote for. I repeat that I would prefer if you went to the poll to vote. The poll will not close till we reach the last place where the merchant sells his goodies. Now, here they are. I hope I didn't leave out any theories. I really did look through the chapters. Oh, these theories were submitted by those who kindly took the time to submit them to me. I would put all their names down, but it's hard work remembering all the names. So instead, I put the name of the character of the story who told it by each one. Those who have checked back on this fic know which theory belongs to them. Give yourselves a cookie for taking the time to make this fic funnier than originally planned!

**1. (Character theory: Sheila) He has this super advanced, special bicycle that he flies with, like E.T. the alien. He rides it to get to place to place without being seen or heard.**

**2. (Character theory: Leon) He has tunnels that leads everywhere in the town and castle area. Old forgotten ones that only the Merchant knows about.**

**3. (Character theory: Chris) The Merchant is actually someone else each time you see him. In short, he is... sextuplets! And all of them look exactly alike. Oh, and for those who don't know what sextoplets are, they are actually six kids born together by the same mother. Poor woman, pregnant with six kids at once!**

**4. (Character theory: Sheila) Nothing but a bunch of clones.**

**5. (Character theory: Chris) Our friendly neighborhood Merchant is the result of shadow cloning transformation... Cool!**

**6. (Character theory: Claire) He's actually an Anamorphic being that likes to turn into those crazy black beetles that whack into everything. He morphs into the beetle, then flys to to place to place without being seen... Cause he's tiny.**

**7. (Character theory: Sheila) He met up with Triple H at a wrestling match. The guy comes up to the audience where the Merchant is sitting and reaches for the empty seat to beat up his opponent with. Well, Mr. Merchant tries to sell it to him for a very high price. Needless to say Triple H gets really, really, really angry. Top that with how much he was screwing up the match, Triple H walks away to grab a sledge hammer that was reserved for a different match. Next thing the Merchant knows, he gets whacked on the head by the heavy weopan, which causes his brain to rattle around till that part of the brain we don't use suddenly kicks in. Whammo! Super speed Merchant!**

**8. (Character theory: Claire) He met up with Taki and kept passing out from massive nosebleeds, so he had to learn to teleport to get away. He's Mr. Teleport Merchant Guy!**

**9. (Character theory: Sheila) He met the Scissors man from Clock Tower three and got so freaked out at how stupid the freak looked, that he jumped and learned how to fly... Seriously!**

**10. (Character theory: Chris) He met the Scissors woman and flew the coop when she wouldn't stop taunting him. Wouldn't you?**

**11. (Character theory: Leon) The blue flames from his torches is the key. Inside each torch is a teleportation device that teleports him from one set of blue flamed torches to another. **

**12. (Character theory: Sheila) He got caught playing ding-dong ditch at Kane's mansion while he had Undertaker and Shawn Micheal's over to hang out. First time, he gotta away safely. But eventually, he was caught by all three guys at once. The three wrestlers began to chase the poor Merchant, trying to tombstone and body slam him. So, the guy learned tai jutsu to avoid a major butt kicking. With the skills from that, he can get anywhere without being seen!**

**13. (Character theory: Chris) He's actually a big organic weopan trained to sell crap! Ain't that wonderful.**

**14. (Character theory: Sheila) Uh-O****h. The Merchant had to run from Jazz Master Saddler because he was trying to have his way with him. (Must be the Merchant's animal magnetism) So, he had to learn teleportation Jutsu Karate to avoid being turned into a fairy child. Handy technique, don't ya think?**

**15. (Character theory: Luis) The Merchant is actually a alien with an invisible spaceship! He flies around, finds a spot to set up shop and then, he teleports himself down to sell his junk, seemingly coming out of thin air!... I want a invisible spaceship. Sounds cool.**

**16. (Character theory: Sheila) One day, the Merchant got really hungry. He spotted Mendez's expensive cheese, and sneacked insde and ate the entire thing! Once the tall freak got home and saw the Merchant just sitting there, with an empty container that once had his cheese inside. Mendez went berserk and tried to kill him. NOt able to catch him, he put a bounty on the Merchant's head, declaring that he must be killed. So, he had to learn to become invisible to save his own skin! Invisibility rules!**

**17. (Character theory: Leon) He's a ninja, people! a super ninja with super stealthy moves. The guy follows the characters around, listening in and skipping up on ahead to get his stuff ready to sell. Unfortunately, the characters in the story has become paranoid concerning him and his stealthy, ninja ways... **

**18. (Character theory: Sheila) Like in Star Trek, the Merchant is actually a intergalactic space explorer from the future! He travels through different point in earth's history to sell his goods to those who need it. Right now, he's currently set up to help those who oppose Saddler, the guys who's trying to spread his crappy parasites everywhere. Unfortunately, he, the Merchant, has been injected with one of those things. Because of this, he's not aloud back on the ship, which is currently parked behind the moon. But, he was given serum by his people to keep himself from turning into Saddler's slave, at least long enough till the characters find the cure. The crew beams him from place to place as the characters get further along in the story.**


	37. Chapter 36:A Meeting of Rivals

**A/N: **_Well, after having a very strange dream of Wesker and other freaky things and hearing from a old friend in this Resident evil Fan fiction universe, I knew it was time to finish this chapter. Heck, I should say finish this fic. If I don't, who knows will pay my dream world a visit... It would probably be Alfred... (shudders) Scary thought. _

* * *

**Resident Evil 4: A Twist In Reality**

**Chapter 36: A Meeting of Rivals and a Lesson on Lasors **

Waking up and finding yourself back in the nightmare is one thing. Waking up and finding that the girls you're supposed to have protected was gone, is another. For these brave men and the young woman, it was yet another crippling blow. Time was against them, the mind puppets that Saddler controlled was against them, everything seemed against them. The question of what could possibly come next was on their minds, though none voiced it.

In silence, they brought their aching, bruised and battered bodies up to their feet, forcing fatique to the back of their minds. As they began to leave, Claire voiced her concern at last.

"How will we find them?"

Leon paused, before turning back around. "With this."

Smiling sadly, he took out his visual walki talkie, pressing a button on the side. The screen suddenly showed a dot blinking on the screen.

"I threw a tiny, radio beacon reciever on Sheila before Saddler did his number on me. The closer we are to her, the faster this dot blinks. It's not much, but it's better then nothing."

"It better do better then nothing." Chris murmured as he read the memo Saddler had left behind. "Da-n. Time is running out."

**R**

"What's the news on our friend, Leon?" Krauser casually asked as he kept tossing his blade up in the air.

Ada frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. "He's not making it easy. The sample?"

"Saddler's got it. It seems he's sniffed out our little game."

Ada didn't miss his amused yet accusing look he was casting her way. She smiled, unfazed by his statement.

"Perfect."

Krauser caught the blade in the air, then stood up as he abandoned his relaxed position. "Just so we understand each other, clearly. I don't trust you, nor does Wesker. If you try to do anything clever, I will kill you."

Like she hasn't heard that line before. How many times has it been now since she's been threatened or told that she wasn't trusted? Hm, lost count. By now, it was just all too boring to hear the enemies threats. Especially from Wesker's minions. If he only knew how long this cat and mouse game has been going on between herself and Albert Wesker. Then again, maybe he does.. Uh, no. Not this big ape. Excellent soldier? Yes. Evil, conniving genius? No.

"Is that so? You know, I met Wesker long before you."

"We'll see soon enough if you did."

Ada turned to leave, then paused as she smirked at the large man. "Yeah, we'll see."

Jack Krauser's scarred faced shifted in a murderous smirk. "Humph."

**R**

It was time to leave. The sky was still considerably dark in the early morning hours as the moon slowly began to set, dawn still some time off. But he preferred it that way. So many things could be done while other lesser beings slept the hours away. Of course, Wesker wasn't as arrogant to not remember that he was once a normal human being who needed rest. But even then, he managed to be sharp by only having four hours of sleep.

Wesker straighted up after completing his stretches, almost resembling a professional athlete just before the big game. He felt energized and alert, even a tiny bit giddy. A word that when put together with Albert Wesker, was completely weird and uncomfortable. But he just couldn't help but feel this way.

Today was the day_. _The day when he could enjoy not only watching a long, hard, bloody battle between his new toy and the meddling threesome, but to see the end of his most hated enemy, Chris Redfield. A blood curdling smile touched his thin, sculpted lips as pictures of the pig headed Redfield trying desperately save his darling sister from the boy she failed to save all those years ago. Many scenes of different ways of killing Chris danced around in his head like sugar plumbs in the Christmas poem. The minds of a psycho path are scary, trying to describe it in this fic is just plain insane!

Wesker's somewhat chipper mood was faintly seen on his outer exterior, but those who worked for this horrid man (or what's left of one) knew him well enough to be taken off guard by his new mood. At least he didn't decide to wear something other then his black attire;, that would have caused downright panic among the scientists and soldier populace.

Stepping into the empty elevator, Wesker looked down at his clothing. He deserted the black business suits that he has worn for so long, going back to his grass roots. Black jean pants, black steel toed boots that reflected the lights from the perfect polishing he gave them. A black tactical vest that molded tightly to his sculpted chest and abs. Staying fit has always been apart of his life, even as he entered his late forties, he ran at least ten or more miles a day. The T-virus has done a marvelous job in keeping him alert and from feeling the effects of the years passing by.

Over the shirt he had a tactical (black) vest, though he honestly didn't need it. As he grew older, the T-virus has developed his healing capabilities, increasing his speed and agility as well. Wesker chuckled, his red/orange eyes glittering with evil anticipation behind his trade mark black shades at a thought that popped into his all too evil brain. Chris would be finding it more difficult to pull his trade mark Redfield surprises. The fool would rue the day that he survived the mansion incident. His black gloved hands touched his large knife he kept in a sheth at his hip, the only thing that was a different color then black. Though dark Umber was close to the black color.

The elevator doors opened to the outside of the hidden base. Heath Cliff and two other young scientists surrounded the soldiers as they carefully led GV-23 toward the helicopter. All movement stopped when a guard announced Wesker's presence. The soldiers saluted, the scientists stood straight and nodded in his direction while the the experiment, Steve Burnside just stood there looking straight on, no recognition in those fathomless black eyes.

"As you were, men... Well, well, well. Today is a day of reunions, my boy." Wesker said, standing right before the tall young man. Their heights were exactly the same, allowing both to see eye to eye. Wesker removed his glasses, allowing the monster to see just who was the biggest one. The one in charge. "Reunions can be fun. Let's just hope that the pretty face will not distract you from your purpose. I've invested a lot of money in you."

"Don't worry sir, GV-23 won't let you down." Heath spoke up. He gulped when Wesker turned those inhuman eyes in his direction, clearly not appreciating the young scientist from speaking when not spoken too.

After a beat, Wesker put his shades back on. "Remember Cliff, if one glitch occurs, your life will be mine."

Heath slowly nodded. He never had any doubt about that.

"Load him up."

The soldiers quickly obeyed, leading the young man inside the large helicopter. The blades began to whirl as Wesker and two soldiers loaded the chopper. The door closed as the large whirly bird lifted up in the air, carrying two of the most dangerous monsters on earth. The question was, just who was more dangerous to the other? The intelligent, calculating Albert Wesker who had power, strength, and a money to kill the other without a single thought? Or was it the young man who's mind was only blank and under control because of a chip made by a arrogant, narcissist scientist?

**R**

Dispatching the pesky, Ganado soldiers was done with little effort. It seemed that it just wasn't the tiny band of heroes that were tired and aching.

Losing the girls again dampened their spirits. Hours of fighting for their lives and leaning on adrenaline was taking its tole both physically and emotionally. The subject of the medicine that Claire took would work in time to kill the parasite had again been put on the back burner, for the moment that is. Now, all that mattered was to make up for lost time after the confrontation with Saddler.

Little was said as they boarded the lift, though not of fearing of being heard by more enemies. Truth be told, the area now seemed deserted. Other then the small skirmish they had happened upon, any presence of more enemies wasn't there. Leon had holstered his Black-tail as well as Claire. Leon and Luis still had their handguns out, though their stance wasn't threatening in any way.

The lift came to a groaning stop to a more bright area lighted by the natural faining light of the moon as it slowly set. Leon barely noticed the light as he walked casually out on the metal railing floor, the others casually following from behind. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end. He stopped in his tracks, slowly reaching up to grab the hilt of his large knife. Someone was watching them. Luis's startled gasp had Leon turning around, knife out in a defensive gesture.

"Did you see that?"

"See wh-"

Chris's hand raised for silence, stopping Claire from finishing the question. The feeling of being stalked by something hostile caused dulling senses to suddenly be alert. Chris and Luis had their guns pointed up at the metal beams, as a noise here and there drew their attention. The silence was deafening. Then, their stalker made his presence known.

From the corner of Leon's eye, he saw a human blur launch itself toward him from above, the enemy letting out a predator's cry of pleasure as it came crushing down. Despite broken ribs and many wounds he's lost count of, Leon managed to roll out of the way just before the blade embedded itself in his chest. Instead, only his right cheek felt the combat knife's sting.

Guns were pointed at the large, mammoth of a man. Bullets were fired, but the human blur amazingly out maneuvered the deadly led. Chris flew back from a powerful round house kick to the gut, smacking hard against the lift. His weapon was dropped as he gasped for air. Luis received a headbutt, then was tossed over the railing. Claire managed to grab his hand before the unlucky Spaniard could fatally fall upon the hard concrete. She gasped as his hand slowly began to slip from her own. Her strength not on par to hold on to the dazed scientist.

All of this took less then six seconds, not allowing Leon the time or thought to help out his friends. He wiped the blood from his cheek, the blood flow already clotting from the slight scrape of broken flesh. His body was tense and alert as he crouched. Jack Krauser walked over to the blade that had been embedded in the metal crate like floor, easily dislodging it from the metal. Leon's blood dripped from the tip, barely spotting the ground.

"Been a long time, comrade."

Leon kept his knife ready, eyes and body so intense that it seemed that he wasn't surprised to see what was supposed to be a dead hero. The only thing that betrayed his shock was his voice.

"Krauser!"

Leon wasn't fooled by his nonchalant manner as he playfully tossed the knife up in the air, then catching it. Jack Krauser wasn't any ordinary soldier. The man was a legend. One that Leon once considered himself lucky to have met and known as both friend and competitor.

"I died in a crash two years ago. Is that what they told you?"

Krauser began to circle the agent, reminding Leon of a shark. "You're the one who kidnapped Ashley."

"Don't forget the chattie one." Krauser replied with a smile, his hand nimbly twirling the knife around in his hand.

Leon turned and followed his movements with his eyes. His own hand tightened around the grip of the matching combat knife. "You're the anonymous tipper, aren't you? Bringing Chris and Claire in this was a bad move, Jack."

The only visable effect of his first name being used was the tightening of his mouth. "You catch on quick. That's expected. After all, both you and I know where we come from."

Krauser suddenly attacked, just as agile and fast as a cobra. Leon jumped back as the knife barely missed his throat. Leon took the offense and sliced back, along with a thrust up towards Jack's throat. But the large man was quick on the defense as well as he avoided the fatal blows. Gone was the casual demeanor's as the two held their identical combat knives in a defensive posture, each looking for a opening to strike.

"What do you want?"

Krauser's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Hm.."

Krauser took a step back and attempted to slice Leon open. But the blond easily stepped back, focusing on avoiding that blade. But Krauser suddenly changed position and brought the knife up as Leon did just seconds ago. The change in the attack nearly ended Leon's life then and there. Both resumed their circling one another; identical blades gleaming as the moonlight shined down through the glass windows.

"Heh. The sample Saddler developed, that's all."

Krauser again attacked, this time with a straight thrust. Again, Leon was ready for him, bringing up his blade. Sparks seemed to come from the blades as they noisily rasped against each other. Feeling the strength of the possessor of the knife, Leon quickly circled away. Jack has always been the stronger of the two, but the once rookie cop was the one who possessed speed. Now, it seemed that his old comrade had that too. With the odds against him, Leon knew that he and the others had to get away from this man. Even that seemed nigh impossible.

"Luis!" Claire screamed as his hand slipped even further.

Leon was momentarily distracted, giving his adversary an opening. Quicker then you and I could blink, Krauser cut Leon's arm. Gritting his teeth from the sting, he back flipped out of the way. The scarred man smirked as more of Leon's blood dripped from his knife. Both knew that he could have killed the agent at that moment. But Jack Krauser was making a point in this knife game of who was the superior being, and who had the power.

"You dragged them here just for that?"

Chris stumbled toward his sister, clenching his teeth as he reached down and grabbed Luis's wrist. Together, the siblings managed to pull the dazed Luis back to safety. Now, they could concentrate on taking down this strange enemy. Easy as pie. That is, if you count a man who's large, fast enough to out maneuver bullets, and seemingly the one who's the reason for poor Ashley and Sheila into this mess in the first place easy as pie. In other words, there was no way this big scarred guy was going to be easy to take down.

"W-What happened?" Luis groaned, still seeing everything in double vision mode.

His eyes widened when seeing Krauser and Leon. Specifically Krauser. The American agent didn't have a chance against this freak.

"Oh, I needed Ashley to buy Saddler's trust in me. As for the red head, she has a particular part to play in this script that has nothing to do with the sample. She's the bait."

Krauser growled as he kicked the nearby barrel towards his old partner. Leon kicked it out of the way, then quickly brought up the knife to deflect Krauser's blow. The knives again sparked as both men flipped over to the level down below. Both landed on their feet, then slowly stood up to once again resume the battle of wills.

"It's Wesker, isn't it? He's the one who set all of this up." Leon growled as his blade whistled through the air, slicing Krauser's chest. The soldier looked down at his chest with surprise, then seethed as Leon smirked.

The two tangled again, but quickly broke apart as sparks and the sound of metal meeting filled the silent room. Emotions were now running high.

"What the hell happened to you, Krauser?"

"You mean besides being pushed out of the job because that bi-ch chopped off my arm, infecting me with the T-Veronica virus?" Kruaser growled, running forward to kick Leon's knee. As the athletic blond rolled out of the way, Krauser immediately began to slice and jab at him as if some bored young boy poking fun at some bug with a stick.

"Shoot him! He's going to kill him!" Claire shouted, supporting the still dizzy Luis as Chris aimed at the battling duo.

"I can't! Not without hitting Leon!"

"Don't worry, Leon. When all is said and done, I'm still an American trying to protect and serve his country. I just got a different boss who gave me everything I ever needed."

Both men launched at each other. Leon caught Krauser's hand just before he could get in inch closer to his forehead, twisted it while going for his kidney's with his own blade. Of course, his old friend was just as quick and twisted his wrist as well till both were at a stand still. Blades inches from the others faces, faces close enough to feel each others heated puffs of air. Sweat began to bead on Leon's forehead, trailing down his temple and cheek. The older man chuckled, then lifted his leg and kicked Leon back with enough force to knock the air and knife from him.

Chris began to shoot, his aim true. But all he received for his efforts was an annoyed Jack Krauser as he used his own side arm to shoot the gun from Chris's grasp.

"Well, this is where we say our goodbyes, Kennedy. Don't worry abouth the girls. I'll make sure Umbrella takes good care of them as it did for me."

"Umbrella?"

"Hm. Almost let it slip. No matter. Enough talk, die comrade!"

Krauser leaped down upon his fallen enemy, his knife poised over his neck. Leon kept a hold of Krauser's wrist, using every ounce of his strength from certain death. But even that wasn't enough as the blade slowly inched closer and closer. Chris leaped down, his own knife in hand as he ran over to save his friend. But he didn't need to as another party intervened with a single bullet. The knife flew from Krauser's hand; a red dot resting over his heart. Looking up, he gave a annoyed grunt at the lady in red. Her smoking gun telling him everything he suspected since the start of this strange journey.

"Ada!"

"Well, if it isn't the bit-h in the red dress."

"It looks like we have the upper hand here."

Smirking when now noticing that Luis and Claire were pointing their own weaponry at him as well, Krauser ran and leaped up and landed on a nearby ledge, 20 feet above Leon. No average human would have come close. Peering down at the small band of heroes, Krauser then gave his final threat.

"You may be able to prolong your life, but it's not like you can escape your invitable death, is it?"

Then he was gone, leaving the group alone with Ada Wong.

Luis, Claire, and Ada joined the two silent men. The others eyed the spy with a mixture of awe and wary suspicion.

"You... knew each other?"

Leon grabbed the knife Krauser left behind. "More or less. Maybe it's about time you told me the reason you're here?"

Ada shurgged as she walked past him. "Maybe some other time."

She suddenly paused, then turned and looked at Luis. His gaze shifted away from hers. Then she left as mysteriously as she appeared.

Being one who's been trained to notice every little detail, it didn't take long for our favorite American agent to put two and two together.

"She's the one who convinced yout to steal the sample."

Luis neither denied or confirm the statement.

"In the words of the sexy lady in red, maybe some other time."

Nodding, though in no way pleased, Leon turned and took the lead.

**R**

The two girls paused as Saddler stopped to speak to one of the Ganados. Neither spoke or made any movement, the parasites still in complete control. And that was more terrifying then facing a hundred zombies. To be locked away and aware of everything, but not in control was terrifying. The longer they were under the influence, the harder it was to fight. And fight they did. But as long as Saddler was their with that ugly, living parasite staff of his, neither could do much but follow the parasites lead, and to listen in on the conversation.

Saddler smiled, looking interested in what his Ganados had to report. Reaching deep inside his religious, ugly, over done robe, he pulled out a radio similar to Leon's. He then removed his hood as he switched on the satellite radio. If Sheila could voice her thoughts, she would have mentioned that the removal of the hood was no way an improvement.

SADDLER_: Enjoy the reunion with your old friend?_

LEON_: As a matter of fact, I did._

SADDLER_: Wonderful. I wouldn't want my special guests on the island feeling unattended._

LEON_: Guess I'm supposed to thank you, right?_

SADDLER_: Ah... I have an idea. Since you and your friends are here, why don't I introduce you to 'It'. 'It' should keep you busy. _

LEON_: Can't remember the name? A senior moment, perhaps._

SADDLER_: (laughter) Enjoy the fun._

While Ashley mildly wondered what in the world is a 'It', Sheila was proverbially chewing on her nails with fear and dread. It. Yes, she remember exactly who It is. It was not a fun thing to fight. It majorly sucked. It needed to die. Of course, she knew with the numbers on Leon's side, he could defeat it more easily. Then again, sometimes numbers can get you killed. Which brought to her mind the laser hall. How were they going to get past that?

"Come on, my sweets. Time is of the essance."

Dang, what did she do that was so bad to have Psycho Saddler to give her a pet name? If she was lucky, then maybe she would be the one to use the rocket launcher on the arrogant jerk in the end, instead of Leon.

**R**

"I have a bad feeling about this," Claire voiced her concern as she and the others looked at the brightly lit hall with dread.

"Kinda sci-fi-ish." Chris commented.

"Da-n! I can't believe I forgot about this!" Luis hissed, running his hands through his dark hair.

"Care to enlighten us?" Leon asked.

"It' a special security system that Saddler had bought from some company on the black market. If the security measure is on, and it should be, then whoever steps inside the hall will be faced with fast moving lasers."

"Lasers? Like James Bond lazors?"

Claire rolled her eyes at her brother's comment.

"Si. It's still in it's beginning stages, but the basic concept is the same. The temperature of the lasers is half the degrees of the sun. So they would slice through your flesh like butter."

"Well, is there some grid around herr for us to turn off the security measures?" Claire asked as she looked around the small room.

"No. It's voice activated by Saddler himself, and some of his top security. They are the only ones who can turn it off... Thought there might be a way."

"Like what? Surviving the lasors and pressing that shiny green button at the end?" Chris asked, heavy on the sarcasm.

"Actualy, yes. That is the only way."

"What?.. You know, sometimes I feel like some game character; forced to endure all these puzzles and traps for some sick adolescents amusement," Chris grumbled.

"You too?" Leon enquired.

After a beat, Claire asked, "So, who's going to be the unlucky one to face certain death?"

Another beat or two went by.

"I'll go." All three heroes announced. Luis kept quiet.

(Hey! The poor guy has the game trying to kill him. Cut him some slack.)

"Leon, you just went through a life and death knife match with that weirdo. And since Claire has that injured leg, and Luis is too chicken-"

"I am not too chi-"

"Plus he has that weird bad luck going on." Claire added.

"I appreciate it Chris, I really do. But let me handle this one. You can handle the next trap of horrors, alright?"

Shrugging, Chris stepped aside, giving Leon room to proceed on.

The others watched in the saftey just outside of the electric sliding door as Leon proceeded on. He left his large case with Chris, leaving him more free to move around in a tight spot.

He heard the sound of crackling as he took a few steps in. Suddenly, these black spots on the side shot out three orange lasor beams. The one horizontal line rolled up and down as the other two vertical lines went side to side quickly. Leon waited, noticing a pattern. After a few seconds, he waited for the large opening when the lines intersected and made a rectangle. He made his move unscathed.

"One down, Leon. Four more to go... I think," Luis announced.

"You think?"

"Well, I'm about ninety percent sure."

Leon ignored that part, concentrating on the next laser death trap.

This time, their were five lines. Vertical, horizontal, criss crossing and moving rather quickly. He waited, calmly watching till he noticed the pattern. This time, for a three second span, an opening in the shape of a triangle appeared. Waiting patiently for the triangle to appear again, Leon took a deep breath and ran through. It was a close one, but again he managed to get through without any injury.

"Keep it up, Kennedy!" Chris encouraged. Other then that, everyone remained quiet as they anticipaited the next one.

Leon stopped as now five lasers intersecting move toward him quickly. They criss crossed, but left a smaller opening mid way. Running forward, Leon torpedoed forward through, nearly getting his legs nicked by the dangerous lasers. He released the air he had been holding, staying in the kneeling position he had landed in. Standing up, he looked behind him and gave the others a thumbs up. Their answer was some shaky smiles. Three down, one to go.

Seeing the door so close at hand, he ran forward, then stopped. Several of those black spots on the walls suddenly gathered, making that crackling sound. Seeing that there would be no opening through the multiple spots that had gathered, the agent plunged on ahead. It wasn't till he was smack in the middle of these death cannons did his instincts scream to duck and cover.

Leon flipped back a couple of times as the lasers came to life. And it didn't stop there. All of the lasers came for him before he could have a chance to blink. Pure instinct (and a smidgen of luck) came into play as Leon somersaulted back perfectly in time as the lazers came, missing him as ever angle of his body moved through the air. He landed flat on his stomach as the last laser swished over him. It's heat felt all over his body as it passed on by.

The jubilation his friends made had him relaxing slightly. He laid there, taking a moment to just gather back his wits.

"That should do it, me amigo!"

"That was just!.. I mean, wow! That was wow!" Claire squealed, boosting Leon's ego even more.

As he stood up, he turned and winked at the impressed young woman. "What can I say? I'm just skilled that way."

"Lucky, Kennedy. You're just plain lucky."

Leon shrugged as he strutted forward. "Yeah... But I'm still skilled... Like a ninja."

"You wish," Chris teased good naturedly.

Leon smirked, pressing the button as he turned to say something back. But what he saw had him paling.

At the entrance where the others still were, lasers covered almost ever inch of the hall. The only free space was the very top while the rest criss crossed in every fashion. Basically, this looked like the end for him.

"Leon!" Claire screamed.

_YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDIN' ME_!

But this was no joke, especially since the lasers were coming toward him rapidly. Grasping for straws, Leon ran toward the lasers. The others screamed at him, thinking that he either went suicidal or actually thought he was that skinny. But Leon S. Kennedy isn't one you should ever underestimate. He proved that by his next move.

He turned away just before he ran into the lasers reach and ran back toward the end of the hall. He used his momentum to jump and run up the door and into the air as the lasers sweeped underneath him, senging one of his blond locks as he leaped backward over them.

Everyone was silent. Leon just stood there, his back to the others. Nobody moved...

Turning around, Leon looked at the others and said, "Again, tell me Luis. How many was I supposed to face again?"

Luis nervously chuckled. "I did say I was about ninety percent sure."

Claire was the first to run forward and join the agent, giving him a huge, bear hug. Leon grinned, enjoying the female appreciation of his skills. He mentally thought to himself how luck had nothing to do with his awesome moves. As the auther, I'll leave that up to you guys.

"Chris?" Luis snapped his fingers in front of the taller man's eyes. Blinking, Chris shook his head.

"That was... Did you see?... I can't believe... Wow."

"My thoughts exactly, amigo. But I don't think we should let him know that. His ego is being stroked enough by your luscious sister... Some men get all the luck."

"What?" Chris looked at the pair in the hall, and scowled. "Keep those hands above the south pole, Kennedy!"

Luis snickered as they joined the other two to proceed on. The still scowling older Redfeild gave Leon's case back to him as they entered the next room.

The room was almost completely dark, lit up by red and orange lights, with some of the waning moonlight from the sky lights above.

"This is just so creepy." Claire grumbled.

Luis strolled forward. "Welcome to Saddler's throne room."

"Somehow, I pictured him having a huge golden chair for his throne," Chris replied. "Like his evil midget did, Salazar."

"That's evil, little, person, Chris." Claire chastised.

Leon sat down in the chair, crossing his legs as he rested his cheek on his fist. He gave a devilish smirk and said, "It's good to be king."

"Alright, Mel Brooks. Can we go now?"

Snorting at Chris's impatience, Leon got up and moved to the sliding door behind the throne. Chris quickly sat in the chair, taking out the Salazar crown out of his case and placing it on his head.

"Ah, yes. It does feel good to be king."

"CHRIS!"

Sighing at his sister's screech, he placed the crown back and joined the others on the really, really small elevator. And that my friends, is the end of this chapter. Sorry it's short, but it's really late and I'm tired. In the meantime, think about the up coming battle with... IT! Dun! Dun! Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

* * *

**A/N: **_The poll for which theory for the merchant you want to win is still in place! GO vote... Well, review first, then vote! And don't forget, if you don't review and vote, 'It' will be paying you a visit! Muah! Ha ha ha haaaaaa!... Kidding! Sheesh!_


	38. Chapter 37: 'IT'S' a pain in the butt!

**A/N: **_Thanks and enjoy! You guys are the best!_

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**Resident Evil 4: A Twist In Reality**

**Chapter 37: 'IT's' a Pain in the Butt!**

"Welcome, strangers! It's so good to see you back in one piece!" The Merchant happily announced as the heroes made their way to him. Then he rolled his eyes once he saw who was missing. "You lost them again?"

"His eternal pain in a-s Majesty intercepted us," Chris explained.

"Hm, that doesn't bode well," the Merchant replied. Suddenly, his red eyes turned from solemn and to something giddy as he opened his jacket. "What will ya be buyin'?"

Tune ups was the orders placed. Chris bought himself a new hand gun while his sister and Leon ordered some grenades. While the merchant tuned up his magnum and Mine Thrower, Luis kept looking around, as if waiting for something to pop up from the ground. Paranoia and all that jazz.

"Have you noticed anything around here that is... odd?"

The Merchant raised an eyebrow at the Spaniard.

"Odd as in 'IT'," Luis explained further.

"No. Then again, I haven't gone out of my way to look."

Luis wasn't pleased with the answer, but it was clear that the Merchant knew nothing as he returned his two most powerful weapons to him.

"Come on, the signal has stopped." Leon exclaimed excitedly, looking entently at his radio screen.

"Good luck, Strangers! And don't die too soon."

"Um, we... won't," Claire replied as they entered the next phase of survival.

Torches along the rocky walls was the only light in the darkness. Make shift wooden bridges crossed chasms of a deep dark abyss. The place screamed 'Monsters Lair'. Especially when coming across the rectangular metal cage hanging over the huge abyss.

"Wow... You know, I really don't want to know what that thing's for," Claire muttered, shaking her head at the contraption.

"It's just one of many of Saddler's sadistic playgrounds for his favored subjects." Luis replied absentmindedly.

Leon picked up the pace as the beeping grew louder and quicker. But any hopes of finding the girls vanished when reaching the signal. Putting his radio back in his pocket, Leon bent down and picked up the little tiny radio receiver from the wet puddle.

"Now what?" Claire asked.

Before Leon could reply, the ground and rock wall began to shake as something came drilling through the rock and dirt toward them. And that something made 'IT's' presence known by bursting through the wall.

The experimental monster roared, using its tentacle arm to knock Leon and Luis at opposite sides of the cage. The monster jumped down to join the fun.

Leon shook his head, standing up as the monster roared again. I don't really need to tell you guys how ugly, grotesque, and a bunch of other names to describe the totally scary yuckiness this monster is. Or how unfair it is for the game characters to face another boss challenge after that Krauser incident. But this is a twist in reality, folks. I never did say it was fair.

The creature was the perfect example why splicing genes is a no-no. His upper torso was human enough, and his bald head and large nose could almost pass for a human male. But that's as far as normal you got on this creep. The rest of his body was like some large, fleshy, insect yellow abdomen with no butt. Then again, it's belly dragging on the ground could be classified a part of the anus area. Gross. And the weird thing, that's not the only ugly, yucky thing about his royal "IT-NESS''. His mouth separated from the chin, revealing sharp, elongated yellow sharp teeth with the most blood red gums you and I (and the characters) have ever seen. The drool and slobber was dripping down his chest as he made his monster noises at Leon, his long tongue whipping out like some demonic snake tongue.

"Shoot it, man! Shoot the freak!" Chris shouted as the beastly creature stomped forward toward his frozen prey.

Leon pulled out his BlackTail and popped off several rounds. Nothing fazed 'IT'. With one wave of it's long tentacle arm, it tried knocking Leon into next year. He saw it coming, and reacted the only way he knew how. The agent rolled out of the way as the limb slammed down on the cage bottom, slightly shaking the metal maze.

"There's something blinking down there." Claire noticed. The blinking something was consoles with buttons. "Guys! You need to work together and find the consoles! I think it's your only way out!"

"Easier said then- Argh!" Leon screamed as the monster wrapped it's tentacle arm around his waist, lifting him up while squeezing him tighter then a lover.

Grabbing his knife, Leon began to stab the appendage. He was released as the creature growled in pain. Pulling off his case, he quickly grabbed the best thing for his survival. The Striker.

With a roar of his own, Leon let loose. The monster growled and roared from each blast. Taking a step forward, then two back as each blast took chunks of its own flesh off in a blaze of gore and blood. But just as quickly as the wounds appeared, they were healed.

Meanwhile, Luis found the first console at the north end of the death trap. He quickly pressed the button, which gave a loud buzzing sound as it half way unlocked the red gate.

'IT' howled, leaving Leon to pursue more easier prey. Not questioning the sudden disappearance from his seemingly invincible enemy, Leon set to work in finding the other console with the aid of his friends shouting directions as they watched on from safety. Reaching a shutter with a green light next to it, he quickly shot it, hoping that would work. His instincts proved correct, giving the agent access to the back of the cage where the console was.

Meanwhile, Luis was waiting by the closed entrance to the next part of the compartment. His Red-nine was out as he pointed wildly up in the air, hearing noises as the experiment moved all around him. He had the distinct feeling of being sized up, in which he wasn't surprised. After all, he had a hand in this experiment gone wrong, though he wasn't the main creator. Though the creature wasn't the sharpest knife in the bunch, 'IT' still had a cunning instinct when engaging potential prey and how to kill it's target in a amazing time span of a few seconds.

He turned around, looking at the locked gate after hearing a noise. Another bad thing about this monster was that despite of its girth, the freak was pretty agile and quick.

Taking a couple a steps back, he didn't expect to hit something hard and slimy. With dread, he turned and looked up at Saddler's pet.

"Ah, sh-t!"

The monster backhanded Luis with it's tentacle, sticking out its long, pointy tongue as it gave a growl mixed with a pleased purr. Luis didn't bother getting up as he began to fire, aiming for the freak's head. The purring turned into howls as it covered it's face, though the wounds began to heal quickly, pushing out the bullets.

Red lights began to blink as an alarm began to sound off. The gate opened to Luis's relief, giving him an exit from the close proximity to 'IT'. The monster allowed it's prey to escape, moving on to the other annoying human in the caged compartment.

Leon cursed when finding another shutter barring his way. He raised the Striker and eliminated the green light. He rolled underneath the shutter as it slowly raised up, knowing that whenever an alarm like that went off, it usually meant something bad was going to happen. Like an explosion or in his case, the cage falling down into the bottomless pit.

Luis encouraged him as he ran towards the next stage, but a slimy tentacle wrapped around the agent's neck, lifting him up in the air where the creature was perched. 'IT' looked intensely into Leon's eyes, it's hot, steamy breath surrounding the agent's senses with its grotesque stench. He grimaced deeply as the creature opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue. Licking him from his chin and all the way up to his hairline, leaving a slimy, slobbery path. Unlike what I would do, Leon didn't panic. He kept his cool and did the one thing that would save his cute hide.

Dropping his heavy weapon, Leon tried to peel the thick appendage from his wind pipes, but was unable to. Shakily pulling out his knife yet again, he managed to cut deeply into the slimy surface twice before he started seeing spots from lack of oxygen. The monster released him. With a few seconds left, Leon managed to grab that Striker of his, and leap across the threshold just as the compartment dropped.

"We... stick.. together." Leon wheezed, rubbing his abused neck.

Before either could do anything more, their old pal decided to join the duo for another round. They somehow avoided the large blob of a thing and ran east. The sound of 'IT' rummaging around above wasn't promising for what was in store for their future.

They then proceeded to head south, but was stopped in their tracks by a shutter suddenly closing off the path toward the gate. 'IT' dropped and tried to grab Luis with it's somewhat normal looking hand, but wasn't able to thanks to Leon. The creature leaped out of sight again, giving the two a chance to head east till they came across another console. One down, another one to go. They then backtracked to the middle aisle and decided to deal with the metal shudder door. This time, the light wasn't beside it or anywhere to be seen.

"Guys, look out behind-" Claire didn't get to finish as 'IT' leaped down to block them from running back, trapping the two in the narrow passage way.

"How do we kill this thing?" Leon screamed as he began to fire away.

Both ducked as the tentacle extended to whack off their heads.

"I don't know! IT's-" Luis grunted as the disgusting appendage wrapped around his ankle and began to pull him toward itself.

The monster's jaw was open and it's tongue wiping across it's own face with greedy anticipation.

He didn't wait for Leon's help. The Spaniard let out a stream of curses in Spanish as he fired at the tentacle wrapped around his limb, freeing himself for the moment. Fortunately for him and Leon, he could see the elusive green light beyond the shutter gate, above it hidden on the metal beam. With a couple of shots, he shattered the light and opened the shutter door. Both men ran as 'IT' kept closely at their heels. With the directions shouted at them from the other two, they found the next lock console in the west side of the maze compound. Leon threw a flash grenade at 'IT' as Luis pressed the button. The familiar red light and siren went off as 'IT' still stumbled around from the blast of light. Both squeezed by and entered the next compartment.

When the creature came around, they blasted it till the cage fell. Both stood there silently, looking down at the vast chasm.

"You think it's... You know, dead finally?"

"God, I hope so." Leon rasped. "I could use a break."

Leon turned and walked over to the lock console, pressing the button to release one lock of the last red shudder door. The moment of peace was gone as 'IT' leaped down, separating the two. It's huge butt/stomach thing whacked poor Luis back, causing him to lose his balance and topple over the edge.

"LUIS!" Leon shouted.

He didn't have time to do anything else as 'IT' began to mutate right in front of his eyes. Muscles rippled, skin ripped as it bent down to let this new growth emerge from just below the back of 'IT's neck. This new mutation was large and long, the skin covered in yellow bile slime that smelled of rotten eggs. The new addition turned out to be another head, with large, jagged pincers around it's mouth, which was filled with razor sharp teeth. 'IT' growled like a rapid dog from it's new mouth, then roared as it's slimy tentacle arm wrapped around Leon's ankle, pulling him to it's snapping pincers and mouth. The monster seemed to have yet learned it's lesson, and Leon was all too happy to remind it why touching him with it's disgusting limbs was a bad idea. The knife sliced the tentacle, the wound spewing forth red blood mixed with a strange yellow puss substance similar to the slime covering it's new head. The freak growled and proceeded to go snap up it's prey, tired of this sick little game.

"Shoot it in it's new head!" Luis shouted as he emmerged from the edge, pulling himself up.

No time to feel the relief that the Spaniard wasn't dead yet. Leon did as instructed, keeping as far away from the large bone pincers.

"Back - (Boom!) the hell - (Boom!) up, you son-of- (Baoom!)"

The creature shook it's head, hissed, then leaped up to play it's little hide and seek game.

"Leon, we're going to have to go around." Luis pointed out, entering the much narrower passage with walls and a roof. Leon followed suite. 'IT' jumped back down and tried to snap Leon in half, but it's girth was just to large to fit in the tunnel. It's long neck only could go so far.

"Ha!" Leon exclaimed.

The monster roared, stomping it's many feet-like-hands in a temper tantrum. 'IT' then gave one last menacing snarl before leaping up, out of sight and mind.

"Not good." Luis said, tugging on the agent's arm.

"Hey, we're safe for the-"

The large pincer head burst through the roof, obliterating the feeling of safety for Leon.

"Guess not."

Both ran and exited the tunnel, finding themselves in yet another jam. Bars blocked their path from reaching the metal shutter door with the green light. Luis aimed his Red-nine and fired, then nodded to Leon. They turned and backtracked through the tunnel, all the while hearing the soft rumblings from their stalker.

Pincer head didn't make his appearance as they emerged. Neither commented as they went through the metal shutter door Luis just opened, finding the last lock console.

"Be ready for 'IT'," Luis ordered, knowing that the monster had wizened up, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

"I'm on it," Leon assured him.

Pressing the button, the oh so familiar alarm went off. And yet, as they entered the middle tiny corridor, still no sign of their deadly friend. Luis pressed the button beside the red gate, opening it and releasing a long chain with a hook. Apparently, that was their ticket out of there. Yet another sign of Saddler's sick, twisted, tastes.

"Figures." Leon commented as he quickly put up his Striker less then six seconds. How he does that is a mystery. In fact, I feel another theory coming-

"This shouldn't be too hard," Leon said sarcastically.

Okay, forget the theory. Let's just presume he can do all things 'cause he's Leon, secret agent man.

With that said, he ran forward, used the bar railing as leverage to leap up in the air. His hands wrapped around the chain, his feet landing in the hook, as scripted in the game version of this twisted little story. He swung back and forth, encouraging Luis to follow.

But as Luis's bad luck would have it, 'IT' appeared. And he was persistent in making Luis his meal. With a shriek of terror, the Spaniard ran forward and leaped off the the trembling compartment. As if on cue, the chain suddenly lifted up several inches. Coincidence? Luis nor Leon had the time to even go there. Closing his eyes, our favorite Spaniard grabbed whatever came in sight. To his relief, his his arms wrapped around Leon's waist. He hung on for all it was worth.

'IT' rushed forward and reached up with it's massive pencor jaws, salivating for it's meal. Both men screamed as they swung toward their doom. Chris and Claire also screamed. Heck, I'm screaming while writing this! THE WHOLE WORLD SCREAMED WITH TERROR!

Just as they swung back within range of it's massive jaws, the compartment jettisoned down, taking the howling monster as it snapped it's jaws in a last attempt to maim and kill.

The two just swung there, too paralysed to move.

"Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I think I may have... wet my pants... a little."

"Yeah? Well, you're not the only one."

"I won't tell if you don't, amigo."

"I like that plan."

The sound of their two friend's shouts of victory echoed off the cavern's walls as Luis managed to crawl up Leon's body. As both somehow (with much toil and near death experiences) crawled at a snails pace up the chain, Chris and Claire hugged each other with relief as they waited for the two to ride the lift across the deep dark abyss to get them. Everything seemed to finally slow down for the tired friends... Or did it?

As the two finally reached safety, they heard the all too familiar roar of their adversary. Looking down the ledge, their hearts dropped when seeing 'IT' run up from the pit with blinding speed.

"No, no, no, NO! How did 'IT'-"

"Less talking cop, and more running!"

The two ran for the opening, 'IT' (or now known as U3) was following closely behind. Both leaped through the opening, with the fiend skidding through as well as the bars slammed shut behind it. This time, there was no where to run or hide. It was fight or die. And the monster knew it as well, now slowly walking over to confront its elusive prey.

With another ledge nearby, and a large rock formation in the middle of the small space, Leon took in the advantages and disadvantages in short seconds. (Again, the super secret agent man coming to the rescue. Next thing you know, he'll create some super weapon out of dental floss and a paper clip. Just like MacGyver!) Taking notes on the rocky tunnel with the lever on the side of both openings, the agent quickly set out to make the most of what they got.

Luis backed away, shooting till his large clip was empty. The bullets was nothing more then a irritation, even when it met it's vulernable second head. But the grenade Leon threw proved more useful, getting the monster to squeal as it's flesh was damaged from the blast, dirt and rocks flung in all directions.

As U3 let everything within a five mile radius of the giant, underground cavern know its displeasure of swanky, smart Leon throwing things that go 'BOOM!' at it, our hot agent pushed the marked man Luis toward the narrow tunnel. I wander when will the game grim reaper will strike next?

"In there!"

"What?"

Pushing Sera inside, Leon grabbed the inside lever and waited for the monster to come.

"What the hell-"

"Go lock up the other side!"

The Latin man didn't argue any further, leaving Leon to his own devices for a few seconds.

The monster shifted, now apparently over its little scare. U3 cocked both heads, crouching low as it scratched the earth beneath its disgusting feet and hand. Luis appeared back at Leon's side, surprised that the supposedly intelligent American agent has yet pulled the lever.

"Leon-"

"Grab something from you case that is more powerful then that old antique of yours."

Remembering what he and Chris found in the locked room back at the castle, Luis nodded. He took the Broken Butterfly from the small case, the large magnum looking deathly in the flickering light of the torches flames.

U3 lifted it's lethal head and howled.

"Start blasting the d-mn thing when the gates down," Leon ordered as he pulled the pin from the grenade, but did not throw it.

Luis's eyes darted between the danger charging them and the one held in Leon's hand. "Leon-"

"Just a little further."

"Leon!"

The creature's jaws were opened wide as it's pincers widened for the kill.

"LEON!"

"NOW!" Leon shouted as he threw the grenade while simultaneously pulling the lever.

The grenade exploded in both of 'IT's faces, surprising the freak and successfully stopping the creature in its tracks. The original head was now unrecognizable. Most of the skull was gone, revealing he mushy brain and all the tiny parasite tentacle emerging from the organ. U3 moaned as blood and puss sprayed the earth below its feet, shaking its pincer head.

"Now would be a good time to shoot, Spaniard!"

Luis was pulled from his nauseous staring and raised the heavy, powerful magnum. With shaking hands, he fired. The recoil from the now even stronger weapon pushed him flat on his butt, thanks to not bracing himself in the proper stance. Leon cursed, covering his ringing ears from the loud blast of the Broken Butterfly. The Spaniard shook his head as he slowly stood back up.

The blast was powerful enough to rip a large hole int the thick, slick, long neck of the creature. Howling with outrage, the beast charged. His body collided with the bars, bending the rusting metal slightly inward. Both guys leaped back as U3 continued to bang against the bars with a steady, enraged persistence.

"Shoot it, Luis! Keep shooting," shouted Leon, though this time he back away while plugging his ringing ears with his fingers.

Bracing himself, he fired again. He missed. The bars were now giving way to the weight and strength of the freaky experiment gone wrong.

"You missed! How can you miss it when it's standing just three feet in front of you!"

"Shut up, cop!"

Luis snarled as he fired again, ignoring how numb his hands were from each shot. The blasts had pushed the monster back, wounding it severely. The wounds healed quickly in its' neck, though Luis desperately was trying to get one good shot at it's dangerous head. After getting another lucky shot, this time just an inch down from its snapping jaws, U3 stopped trying to break his way in. With a low guttural growl, the monster rolled and dodged the blasts, taking the shots in it's thick body. It basically learned that the head and neck area was more vulnerable then its meaty body, which could take allot of abuse.

When the gun clicked, Luis cursed as he emptied the chamber to shakily put in more bullets. Leon was firing uselessly through the bars with his Blacktail as the creature gave them a look. Just as the magnum was reloaded, U3 drilled away into the loose soil. The ground shook, then stopped as the two found themselves alone.

"Sh-t!" Leon cursed, looking down at his feet. He didn't need his smart fellow survivor to tell him that the ground they stood on wasn't solid rock.

"D-mn it! 'IT' has always had a learning curve."

"Shh! Does this thing sense vibrations?"

"What?"

"Haven't you ever seen Tremors?" Leon whispered, his blue eyes looking wildly around. From Luis's incredulous look, he knew that he didn't. "Guess not."

"It doesn't matter how quiet we are, 'IT' knows we're here."

"Change of plans, then. Starting with getting the hell out of here," Leon quickly said, grabbing the lever and pushing it up.

Nothing happened. He tried again, then again and again. "It's jammed!"

The two turned and began to run to the opposite end. But they didn't get far past the red, explosive barrel when U3 decided to play peek-a-boo. It's pincer head burst through the earthy surface, nearly getting poor Luis. Neither could retaliate as the snaky head disappeared yet again. It kept up with this new tactic, keeping them away from the other gate. It wasn't long before Leon had enough of this cat and mouse game.

Ripping off the idea off the aforementioned 'Tremors' movie, Leon pulled the pin of another grenade, he threw it at the last spot where U3 made his quick appearance. The blast must have had its desired affect, for a loud, muffled shriek could be heard from just underneath the earths surface as the monster quickly moved away. This gave the two a little time to escape this self made death trap.

Safely out, the panting two looked around and waited.

"Luis, give me the Mine Thrower."

Luis handed his case over to the agent, keeping his magnum pointed at the ground.

"You know, one wrong shot with that thing can kill us both."

"We're dead anyway if this thing keeps up with the sneak attacks."

Armed with the Mine Thrower, Leon waited for U3's next attack.

"Come on... Two happy meals waiting to be eaten, here. Where are you?"

"You that anxious to die, Leon?"

Before he could reply, signs of the predator was made known as the ground shook. Coming from underneath the barred gate that kept them from escaping wasn't hard to see as the monster through caution behind as it torpedoed its way toward them. Then the large rushing hump submerged completely for a few seconds when near.

"I don't like this," Luis spoke softly, becoming more paranoid by the minute.

Suddenly, the earth beneath Luis's feet became unstable as U3 burst through. Luis found himself straddling the freak of science's back, which would seem like a stroke of luck. He had the perfect advantage to do some major damage with the Broken Butterfly. But that lumbering, plump creature had the perfect advantage over him too. For instance, U3 demonstrated how it's neck had a commonality with the ball joints combined with the bones as the snake has. Allowing it to contort its neck to such an angle that it now was face to face with Senior Sera. There's nothing like being face to face with a monster that gets the blood flow pumping. Especially when it roars directly in your face, spraying spit and ruining the smelling senses for years to come thanks to the sewage breath.

Leon knew that it was too dangerous to use the Mine Thrower at this perticular moment. Always one to think on his feet, he did the first thing that popped into his sharp mind. He unclipped his last Incendinary grenade and used it. Needless to say, neither U3 or Luis appreciated the aciton as flames covered the monster within seconds. Luis fell off, rolling on the ground to extinguish any flames that had tried to start on his expensive clothing.

U3 quickly went back underground, leaving a slightly smoking Spaniard and the American agent alone for the moment.

"Are you insane? You almost killed me!"

Leon's ignored Luis for the moment, too busy making as much noise as possible. It didn't take long for the creature to start the bite and dig routine again. But this time, Leon was the hunter as he led the monster slowly back in the tunnel. Luis's first question was answered for him by this crazy scheme the agent was cooking up.

Getting tired of its prey always alluding it, U3 finally burst through the earth, right beside the red barrel. Using his last grenade, Leon tossed it behind him as he quickly ran back towards the exit. The earth loving 'IT' tried following on foot, but the grenade went off just as it crossed over. The combination of the explosive gasoline and the grenade caused a cave in, inside the tunnel. The ex-cop leaped just in time out of the table, yet again surviving by the skin of his teeth.

Luis quickly helped him up, both looking at the now useless tunnel with wary expressions. As a minute passed, their tense bodies slightly relaxed.

"It's over," Luis sighed, glad to be alive. And over all, that another gruesome experiment eliminated from ever wrecking havoc in this world again.

"It better be. I'm not in the mood for another round. Twice was enough."

"Amen to that, friend."

The sound of the gate lifting was like music to their ears.

"And that's our cue," Leon announced. As the two began to leave, the agent had a disturbing thought. "Luis, that thing is the only one of its kind, right?"

"Of course. 'IT' is actually the only one of his kind, an experiment gone bad. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure. It would really suck if we had to face another one of these things. Considering we have some ground to cover till we find the girls again."

The slight sound of some of the rocky debris moving froze the two heroes in their tracks. Looking at each other with shared disbelieving looks, the two finally reluctantly turned to confirm that the monster was indeed dead. Poor, poor souls. They really thought it would be that simple to kill Saddler's pet.

With a mighty triumphant roar, the U3 monster burst free of the rubble. Battered, bloodied, and one pincher torn off, but still alive and well enough to give these two some major problems.

**R**

Sheila and Ashley were barely aware that they had finally reached their destination, the capsule room. The Ganados busy working on the computers and equipment immediately stopped what they were doing, gazing at their Master and his two guests. All chanted his name with looks of a blankness that rivaled that of the zombies of where the incident in America had occurred. The only difference between the them and the two girls was a certain spark of humanity that still lingered within the two young victims. But that would soon change if reality proves to be a much crueler mistress then that of the game world.

Saddler greeted two Ganados in lab coats, standing beside a large, capsule like machine. The two eagerly bowed and talked excitedly in their native language with their Master, taking just a bit of his attention off of his relentless control over the two Americans. It was enough to let the girls have control over their thoughts and body functions. Although, it was plain to see that he allowed this simply because there was nothing the two could do to escape or cause trouble. Where could they hide? Where would they go when most of his soldiers were at every corner?

The two held hands for comfort as they got a good look at their surroundings. Wires and several computer equipment took majority of the space of this room. Modern technology clearly excepted here then back in the village and castle. But none of these things were holding any interest like the large contraption they stood in front of. Sheila instantly recognized it, looking at the thing with curiosity and dread. For even in the game, they never showed exactly what it was for and capable of. The theory the teen came up with in the safety of her bedroom was that it somehow put the victim to sleep. In which while the patient was snoozing away, it somehow nurtured the parasite to grow faster or something like that.

That, or it was just something to put Ashley in to shut her up for her journey back to the States.

"Sheila," Ashley whispered.

"Yeah?"

"We're not going to be rescued this time, are we?"

Despite of her game knowledge, Sheila couldn't in good conscious answer that question. Not when the future seemed so bleak.

"I... I don't know... We... We have to have faith... That our friends will pull through and come for us... They have to."

Ashley looked at the tall, creepy man that was the cause of all her woes. Her eyes narrowed with barely suppressed hatred.

"I wish I had a gun."

That statement simultaneously surprised the red head and reminded her of the gun she bought from the merchant before they crashed their ride. But the fleeting ray of hope was squashed when she felt her lower back, finding no gun packed in the back of her shorts, or ammo in her pockets... OR HER MONEY!

Giving the laughing old evil dude talking to his loyal idiots a look of pure violence, Sheila replied, "Me too. But trust me, the others will come for us. And when it comes to the final showdown, there is going to be some pay back... Big time!"

Nobody steals money from Sheila and gets away with it. NOBODY!

**R**

It's fair to say that the battle between the U3 and the two unlucky Res characters was not pretty. Sure, the ugly creep wasn't any longer up to full speed as before. Especially with only one pincer left, but that didn't mean that it was going to let these two go so easily. It's like that old saying when you're facing an old tiger. They're at their worst when cornered and dying... Wait... Did I get that right? Whatever, the point is that 'IT' was seriously P.O.-ed with these two humans, and no longer interested in toying with its meals.

"Why won't you die?" Leon screamed as kicked the large snapping head away.

It was ruff, especially since he had a nice Mine Thrower to use, but couldn't since the mutant freak wouldn't stop chasing him with everything it had left. And Luis used his Magnum when he could, but those powerful bullets didn't do anything special to the thick hide. It was the head they needed to eliminate, but getting close enough without being instantly killed was a big issue.

Nerves frayed, the battle going way longer then it should, both began to become careless. Well, less caring of personal safety as the need to put this thing down once and for all became top priority. This became abundantly clear when Leon fired some mines, and the little heat seeking goodies decided that Luis was a better target to go after. Did I mention that the game really wants this poor guy dead?

"LEON," sshouted the Spaniard as he ran and dogded the explosive mines, barely managing to get away.'

At least, that's what he thought. Feeling something kinda heavy and weird attaching itself to his booted foot, Luis looked down and saw the blinking weapon of destruction attached to the heel.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH," screamed Luis as he attempted to shake the increasingly beeping mine of his boot.

Upon seeing Luis's predicament as he yet again rolled out of the U3's way, he cursed and said, "Take the d-mn boot off!"

Luis slid the snug leath boot off, then threw it over the cliff. It exploded about two seconds later.

"Luis, look out!"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the big beasty coming after him. Screaming his frustration, he began to fire the remaining bullets in his magnum without aiming really well. Leon fired another a couple of mines. This time, they settled for the monster.

Two of Luis's bullets met the creature's head dead on, ripping the other pincher off and the other blowing a wide hole in the back of it's throat. As the monster tripped and stumbled around like some drunk, the mines in its butt/belly went off. Bowels, unmentionable organs, tentacles, everything foreign and not so foreign in the monsters body splattered the ground. Breathing heavily, U3 collapsed on the ground, barely offering a guttural grown before ceasing movement.

"You better be dead," Luis growled.

His answer was the sudden melting of the large, parasite experiment. It was finally over...

The two couldn't say anything. No whoops of joy or patting each other on the back. They couldn't even crack a smile. They could only look at each other, then at the steaming puddle on the what seemed like eternity, Luis broke the silence.

"We did it. I think."

"I'm pretty sure when they melt, it means they're dead. Completely. As in not coming back like some deranged zombie psychopath."

Luis nodded, then gave the tired agent a hard look.

"Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Give me my Mine Thrower back."

"Uh, what?"

"You suck at using it, give it back now before you try to blow me up again!"

Leon snorted, tossing the heavy weapon to the angry Spaniard. "You got in the way."

"You almost killed me!.. TWICE!"

Well, I would tell you about the rest of the conversation, but it's not really important. Lot's of name calling, (in Spanish for Luis) and a whole lot of useless bickering. But I promise they didn't kill each other as they took the lift back to get the waiting siblings. OR that death stopped messing with Luis... for the time being.

**R**

The Ganado soldiers and scientists left Saddler and the two girls alone. Needless to say that Saddler was the only one who was smiling and in a good mood.

"Well, my dears, it is time for the next step of your evolution."

"W-What do you mean?"

Saddler's smile may have meant to soothe Ashley's tender, raw nerves, but its results was the opposite.

"Because of the interruption that American agent and his friends have caused, the progress of the gift we bestowed you will be manipulated slightly. To help the growth progress speed up, in a way."

Ashley whimpered, shaking her head violently.

"Do not worry, Miss Graham. You will not feel a thing. In fact, you will be resting through this stressful progress. And when you wake up, all your fears and misguided ideals shall be left in the past. The power within you finally manifesting itself in ways you can only imagine!"

"Is this the part when you offer us some candy to get in the van with you and that you're not a evil, old perv?"

Saddler looked at the mouthy teen with a look of disdain, sarcastically replying, "You're American wit amuses me to no end."

"Well, I do try."

"Laugh while you can, _Sheila. B_ut I guarantee that this shall be your last."

"Ah, so you finally know my name. Huh. I still prefer Nunya."

"Sheila," hissed Ashley, "this is not the time to be a smart mouth little twerp!"

"You should listen to her, my young American friend. For I do not forgive easily."

"Bite me."

"Don't tempt me," Saddler replied with a low, menacing voice. Sheila wisely kept her next insult to herself.

"Now," Saddler said as his face suddenly brightened, "It's time for you to become more then what you are, Ashley."

"Please, don't do this," Ashley sobbed, tears beginning to fall down her dirty face.

Smiling sadistically, Saddler pressed the large Green button on the large contraption. The clear, glass door slid open as the metal restraints opened to receive its victim.

"I don't want to!"

The two girls clung desperately to each other as Saddler raised one hand, his smile never wavering.

"It's time to sleep."

Sheila felt Ashley's death grip loosen, her head hanging. To the teens horror, Ashley lifted her head and smiled. Her red eyes blank as she took Saddler's offered hand as he helped her enter the capsule. The metal restraints clasped around her wrists, ankles, and waist as the glass door slid shut. A smoky substance filled the strange device, till finally the only thing that could be seen was the glowing red eyes that peered out. Then those unrecognizable eyes slowly shut.

"Ashley," squeaked Sheila, raising her hand to rest on the cold glass.

"I wouldn't worry about her, if I was you."

The cold calculation in his voice sent shivers of dread down to her soul. Slowly turning around, Sheila tried to appear brave, but failed miserably.

"You're going to put me in another capsule like this one?"

Chuckling, Saddler replied, "There is no other one. Like when we first met, I have to do things the traditional way. It involves much pain, suffering, and time to complete the progress. But after two.. maybe three sessions, you will be ready to return to America to make more Ganados for me. Spreading the good news of the new Eden I am bringing to this world."

"No... No... NOOOO!"

Saddler's laughter bounced off the walls as the teen attempted to flee. She made it to the sliding doors, but never left through them as a strong, large hand pulled her back to his hard body. Fingers dug into the bare flesh of her arms as he chuckled at her predicament.

"I am so going to enjoy this, Sheila. More then you can imagine."

Sheila felt something slimy slide up her leg. Looking down, she let out a loud, intense scream as Saddler's large, bone tipped tentacle slid up and pressed against her stomach. Then with a violent jerk, it speared her trembling abs and began injecting a strange substance inside her body. As the main tentacled did its thing, smaller tentacles pierced the back of her neck, directly into the spinal vertebrae with the utmost care. The parasite wreathed and seemed to take a deeper hold of her body and mind as Saddler slowly began to nurture it.

Ganados nearby in the facility stopped for a moment in their work, then proceeded on as if the screams of agony was an every day occurrence.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long. Been busy doing everything. But I'm done, and I hope it's satisfactory. I was going to put Chris and Luis as the characters to fight 'IT' together, but then decided on Leon at the last minute. I thought it would be kinda cool to put Leon through more trauma after getting through the Krauser fight and lasers. Plus, he had the Striker, so... There! HA-ha!

Now review, then go the poll to vote on the merchant theories. We're getting closer to the end, so hurry up and vote on my prophile page before it's too late!


	39. Chapter 38: The Hunter and the Hunted

**A/N: **_Yay! Round two for Krauser and Leon. Except this time, he's got help!_

* * *

**Resident evil 4: A Twist In Reality**

**Chapter 38: The Hunter and the Hunted**

It was business as always with the merchant. Some witty words were exchanged, money was given for an upgrade or healing item, then the farewells were given as they departed. Nothing else was said between the four as they trudged on to the next area. From the looks of things, this was some kind of ancient ruins of an old village. Older then the village of Pueblo. And unlike that evil little village, this one was clearly abandoned long ago. Or so they thought.

Leon was ahead of the group, making his way across the ruins. As he drew closer a small, old, square one room building, he noticed that maybe this place wasn't a ghost town after all. The metal bar door with an electronic lock definitely didn't fit the time period when this place was a thriving small city.

Further proof of a presence among them was when a deep, taunting voice spoke from across the way.

"So, you two are all hooked up now, is that it?"

The small troupe paused, looking at the large man. HE had discarded his tactical shirt, standing bare chested with the exception of his weapons belt criss-crossed around his chest. His face was painted with red camo paint, as if an Native American Brave with his war paint on. He was completely intimidating in this representation of confidence and power.

"Where's the girls?"

Krauser snorted at the agent's naive question.

"Do you really want to know?.. They're beyond that gate. But you four will need three insignias to open it."

"Leave them out of this. This is between you and me, Krauser."

But the determined, calm man continued on as if he hasn't said a word, walking slowly with his arms crossed.

"There's one in the north... and another in the east."

Krauser stopped walking, looking at the group with a creepy excited expression.

"And let me guess... you have the last one."

Chuckling, Krauser replied, "It pretty much means I have you four on a tight leash. But I'll settle for you, Leon. The rest can turn around and leave in one piece."

Krauser pulls out a TMP and aims it at Leon. His orders were simple. Take out Leon, allow the other three to live. But people can get caught in the crossfire, it happens every day. And that is the story he's sticking with when he's completed his objective.

"Sounds like you thought this one out pretty well," Leon replied evenly as he slowly reached for his tiny grappling hook.

Conversation done, Leon threw the grappling hook at the ex-soldier while making a mad dash for cover behind a crumbled, unstable wall. The others had to settle for backtracking a little for cover since Krauser had easily knocked the grappling hook to the side with his gun, then sprayed the entire area with bullets.

"Run, Leon! Run!" Krauswer taunted loudly over the gunfire.

The wall Leon used for cover wasn't holding out well. He had to move on, and do it alone.

"You guys stay back! This is between me and him!"

Before the others could reply, Leon made another mad dash toward to small, square one room building. The barred door opened easily, though that was the only easy thing about this new predicament. Now, the ultimate life and death game would begin. Without stopping or looking around, the agent climbed up the metal ladder, knowing that Krauswer wouldn't be too far behind.

When the gun fire stopped, Chris gave a look at the other two, then ran toward the building. The human blur of the determined blond knocked him to the ground, then leaped uptop of the building LEon waiting on.

Krauser smirked when seeing Leon standing there, knife poised and ready. Pulling out a larger knife, the bitter man zipped back and forth so quickly, that the agent found it hard to predict what he was going to do next. It wasn't till Jack was standing in front of him and attempting to slash his neck did the agent react.

Knives clashed, and for the moment, Leon seemed to have escaped the danger. But Krauser wasn't palying by the rules, using his new superior strength to back hand the agent into next year. Poor Leon felt a new world of pain explode from the contact, and as he flew threw the air, he swore he saw stars. His back hit the edge of the building, nearly toppling over. Instead, he found his balance and managed to slide down ungracefully on his butt.

"Come on, Leon! Is that all you got?"

Several gun shots in the back interrupted the battle between hunter and his prey. Locking eyes with Chris, Krauser sneered.

"So you decided to join our little game. Heh! Wesker gives you more credit on your intelligence then you deserve."

"Wesker?"

Krauser threw a flash grenade down, blinding the two men as he made his escape. Luis and Claire's voices of concerns down below in the small building slowly brought them back from their blinding haze.

"We're fine. Just a little... dizzy," Chris grumbled, shaking his head in attempt to get rid of the ringing and dizziness effects from the flash grenade. "I'm beginning to hate that guy."

"You shouldn't be here. This is between me and him," Leon repeated what he said earlier as he angrily climbed down the latter.

"Tough, Leon. We're not leaving you. That's what the Rambo wanna-be wants," Chris replied as he chose to just leap down instead. It wasn't a long drop, so no flattened Chris, folks.

"You don't know Krauser like I do," Leon replied angrily, pushing past the concerned Claire and Luis as he opened the back bar door to the next area. "His military mind is none like any other I have come across. His strategies on the battle field and skills of disappearing is the best in his field. He could come up and slit your throat before you can blink. And that was before the accident! Now he's... he's..."

"Leon, you can't face him alone. You should know this is just some sick, rigged game that he plans to end with your death," Claire said as she followed him out. "We have to stick together, or none of us will survive."

"This isn't the place or time for you guys to be-"

Leon was unable to finish as Krauser's blade nearly made contact with his temple as leaped out from the first, crumbling wall on the left.

"She's right about one thing," Krauser said as he flipped his knife in the air, uncaring about the guns Leon's friends were pointing at him. Catching the knife with ease, he continued, "None of you will leave this place alive."

In a blur of motion, Krauser charged. This time, Leon was ready.

He ducked as the large deadly knife passed overhead, then flipped back when the larger man tried to deliver a round house kick. With quick motions that shouldn't be possible after everything he's faced, Leon fended off the knife easily till finally, he was able to retaliate with a drop kick with both feet.

Chris quickly joined the battle with his knife, proving to be a not so easy kill. Leon cursed as he ran over to keep the short knife battle in Chris's favor. But even with the two of them matched against only one of Jack Krauser, the beastly man was able to leave without a single scratch. His laughter was heard echoing as he yet again pulled the flash grenade trick.

"Great. Now it's too late for you guys to leave," Leon spat out while stalking off down the short pathway and down the stairs. "He loves challenges. You interveining gives him the thrill he's seeking."

"Man up, Leon. We're not going anywhere," Chris replied as they examined the stone door to the north. There were three empty slots where the Holy Beast insignias needed to be placed.

"Yeah, I see that."

"I wouldn't mind staying here," Luis interjected. The last battle with "IT' was enough in his books.

"Shut-up, Sera," Chris ordered. "We stick together from here on out. The creep knows we're here to stay, and probably would take any chance to kill one of us to get even with Leon. Am I right?"

"Yeah, you are," Leon replied reluctantly. "Like I said before, it's too late to turn back now."

"Now that's settled; the big ape said that there was a insignia to the north and one on the east. Since it seems the next path so far is leading east, so we shouldn't be too far from it," said Chris as they reached the central, stone bridge.

A grenade landed in front of the talking Redfield, shutting him up instantly.

"Grenade!" he shouted as he and the others leaped to the cover of the left pillar.

The explosion sent some rocks and debris flying around them, but none were harmed for the present moment.

"This is my playground, Leon! I hope you and your friends enjoy it while you can."

Muttering curses under his breath, Leon took out his sniper rifle from the case; removing the cracked Infrared scope to replace it with his long range one. He waited patiently for Krauser's burst of gunfire to cease, then took action.

Krauser grunted as the high caliber bullet found its mark in his gut. Now, it was his turn to duck and cover.

"Not bad, Leon," came the taunt. "But a true marksman uses this!"

Further down on the building across the bridge, Krauser pops up like some deranged mole from that classic game, 'Whack-A-Mole!' Except for this dirty mole, he has his special bow and arrow. Now, what's a bow and arrow set got against Leon's automatic Rifle?... Nothing, just some arrows tipped with a special gun powder with a timer ready to set it off. No biggie.

The arrow found its mark in the left stone pillar, beeping loudly.

"Oh snap!" Claire squealed.

They barely managed to dodge to safety as the arrow and its 'BOOM!' substance exploded.

"That is it! Luis, give me your Mine Thrower," Leon ordered as he reached for Luis's case. The Spaniard eyes widened as he snatched it away from Leon's reach.

"Hell no, cop! Never again!"

"I told you that wasn't my fault, dumb-ass! Now stop acting like a paranoid game character and give me the freaken'... weapon!"

The struggle between the two would have been amusing if it wasn't so sad. Not to mention happening when a freak like Krauser was happily throwing grenades and using a special 'Boom!' arrow to show his complete lack of sanity. So, as the oldest of the group, it was up to Chris to break up the fight. But since he had no time to play the father figure, he did what any of us would have done in that situation. He grabbed both of them by the back of their collars and smashed their heads together. Effective and less time consuming.

"Ouch!" Luis whiined as he rubbed the front of his forehead.

"That hurt!" Leon growled as he covered his own.

Snatching the case from Luis's free hand, Chris opened it and took out the heavy duty weapon.

"Never send in a boy to do a man's job," Chris growled as he took a chance by stepping out on the bridge.

Krauser laughed as he lined the confidant Redfield in his sights with his bow and arrow.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel," he crowed, his scarred face set in a hunter's glee.

Carefully looking through the scope, Chris fired off a couple of mines. Both almost made contact with Krauser bare chest. But the older man leaped and dodged the heat seeking tiny missiles. The mines attached themselves to the lower portion where he stood.

"Ha! You missed!"

"No, I didn't," Chris replied.

The two mines went off, breaking the unstable portion of the roof of the building. Krauser and the roof came tumbling down, though Chris knew that the surprised lunatic wasn't no wear near dead.

Cursing loudly, Krauser shook off the dusty rubble. A deep bloody gash oozed blood down his face, somehow making him look even more psychotic and dangerous. Or maybe it was the way that deep wound quickly healed itself.

Raising his large knife, Krauser pointed at Chris and announced, "You will pay for that."

His answer to that was shooting another mine at the big boy. Instead of running and avoiding the deadly mine, Krauser somehow flicked it hard with his knife, deflecting it without a second glance. The mine went off far from its target. Cool, but not for Chris.

Leon joined Chris's side and began to use his Rifle. Krauser gave up the chase for the moment, throwing his flash grenade to make his escape.

"We're going to need a rocket launcher to take down this guy," Chris said in a exasperated tone as the group quickly crossed the bridge. "Or a da-n tank!"

The next barred door was locked, as well as the lever next to it.

"I guess we go this way," Claire commented, nodding in the direction of the tall building. "He's waiting for us, I guarantee it."

"Then let's not dissapoint him," Leon replied, shouldering his sniper rifle in favor of his knife. He knew that Krauswer would be wanting more hand to hand combat.

Leon ran up the twisting passage way, with Claire surprisingly hot on his heels. When the found themselves in a open space, among what looked like a Roman theme balcony; bars slid down behind them, keeping Chris and Luis from joining their side. The trap was set, giving them no way to avoid Krauser.

"Look, there's an insignia!"

Leon turned and saw at what Claire was pointing at. Both hurried over, and found that it was indeed one of the missing pieces. Just then, Krauser seems to appear out of no where, his knife drawn out as he circles the two. Protectively, Leon keeps Claire behind him at all times.

"What do you intend to do, restoring Umbrella?"

"To bring order and balance to this insane world of ours."

Leon snorted as grabbed the panther insignia and tossed it in the air before catching it, "A psycho like you can't bring order or balance."

Jack Krauser smirked, casting Leon an amused glance.

"You don't seriously think a conservative mind can chart a new course for the world, do you?"

Leon and Krauser simultaneously charged and attacked. Both were a sight to behold. Strength, power, and agility was in each step and deadly swing. Both in their elements as the battle between good and evil, old and new, came together in a battle almost worthy to be put in the category of 'Clash of the Titans'. A hero with normal human strengths facing off with the monster with a special power and superior genetics.

But even heroes make mistakes. Soon, Leon found himself in on the defensive, and loosing ground quickly. His mind on his friend who was nearby, and easy target for Krauser. As for Claire, she wasn't so much worried for herself, but for Leon. She couldn't get a clean shot, knowing that the risk in ending Leon's life was too great.

Chuckling, Krauswer leaped upon the crumbling wall, the did a fancy backflip up on higher ground. He takes out his TMP and begins to fire.

"Dance for me!"

Leon grabbed Claire's hand and quickly led her behind the crumbling wall. After a minute of endless bullets that were lazily shot in every direction, it finally stopped. Leon peeked around the wall, seeing that Krauser was smiling down at him with a predator's smirk.

"Don't just stand there. Come out and fight like a man!"

"I'm not falling for that one!"

"Just trying to have fun."

Quickly, Krauser leaped down. Giving Claire strict orders to stay put, Leon came out of hiding and again entered a knife fight with his old comrade. But this time, Krauser wasn't so straight forward in his dealings with the tiring agent. Using his new speed and agility in a game of deadly tag. Jack was never one to play fair; exploiting weakness of his enemies a big past time with him.

Leon swung his knife when Krauser was literally right there in his face. But instead of getting the satisfaction of disemboweling him, he only found empty air. He paid for the miss. Pain exploded in his lower back as his swift enemy delivered a powerful karate chop, the bones in his large hand able to take the impact against the bullet proof vest Leon wore. He collapsed down to his knees, one hand covering his lower back region.

"You're making this too easy," Krauser sighed, kicking him in the ribs. Despite the protection the tactical vest gave, it couldn't stop the mini explosions of pain with each powerful action Krauser delivered. "Get up, Leon. Or I guess I'll have to make sport out of your weak, cowering girl over there."

Jack's taunting grin was replaced with an explosion of pain stemming from his groin area. Something that even the virus and parasite couldn't quite make invincible. Claire stood behind him in a defensive stance, her steel toed boots coming in handy after all. Krauser sank to his knees, looking over his shoulder at the auburn haired woman with a mixture of respect and surprise.

"This weak, cowering girl just whooped your ass!.. Well, maybe not your _ass,_" she said with a pleased smirk.

"That's my girl," Chris cheered on from behind the barred door. "Now get your a-s back behind that wall, Claire!"

Leon took the opportunity of distraction to stab Krauser, the blade sinking deep into his left pectoral muscle; all the way to the hilt. His face laced with pain, Krauser chuckled as he quickly sprung up. With a quick flick of his wrist, he used the flash grenade to leave without notice, leaving Leon's knife behind.

Gears shifted as a stone statue was slowly raised from beneath the stone floor surface. The Gargoyle perched on the base of the statue was broken, missing its grizzly head. And as Leon and Claire moved the blasted thing over on the floor switch, they found themselves grateful that it was missing that particular head.

The sound of the bars covering the lever within this area shifting was good news. Pulling the lever, the gate barring them from leaving lifted, allowing all the heroes to reunite. Though trust me, there was no room for celebrating. The dangerous camando Umbrella freak was still roaming the premises; hunting them as they hunted for the remaining Holy Beast insignias.

When reaching the crumbled building they left earlier where the now free lever was, Krauser made another appearance. Though this time, they were expecting him. Pulling the pin from the grenade, Leon tossed it toward the shadow around the corner. Loud cursing mingled with the loud boom, satisfying Leon's urge for payback.

Jack stepped from around the corner, frowing. The burns and and damage done by the blast now becoming just a memory as the inhuman blood within already began to heal the wounds.

"Good Leon! It's about time you lost that boy scout code of ethics. I never remember you using such underhanded tactics... I'm impressed."

"You know, I'm getting tired of hearing you yak," Leon said between clenched teeth as he suddenly whipped out his Blacktail and fired at the larger man point blank.

Krauser was pushed back from the better edge the Blacktail had behind the power of each shot. But even that superb 9mm handgun couldn't keep Krauser down for long. Heck, even when the others joined in with their handguns, the big scary guy with the freaky arm wasn't affected like they so desperately wanted it to.

Leaping up over the wall, landig on the ledge in a handstand; the show off tossed a flash grenade before flipping out of sight with flair and grace unusual for such a large man.

"Luis, you're a scientist. Are we going to have brain damage if the Poster Boy for 'Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Fan-Gone-Horribly-Wrong' keeps leaving us his special goodbye presents?"

The scientist shrugged as he followed the others, leaping down to the last leg of Krauser's twisted playground. Though that didn't mean it was any easier in the least. What with hidden mechanical surprises waiting for their prey to come in their sights...

"I wouldn't worry about that, Chris. You're safe," Luis replied as they came close south to the landing point. Chris seemed satisfied with his assurance. That is, until he continued, "The lack of functioning brain cells in that mind of yours is as low as the count can get. I'm amazed that you're able to form coherent thoughts at all."

Chris paused and raised his gun. Luis swallowed as he turned to see the gun trained in his direction, and nervously chuckled.

"It was a joke, Americano. Just a-"

"Don't... move," Leon ordered.

The three Americans were looking at Luis. Well, actually behind him. And though curiosity demanded Luis to turn around and face whatever was behind him, he much rather follow Leon's orders. He knew that his luck in this world was against him, so playing it safe seemed to be the best course of action.

"What is it," Luis asked with apprehension.

"Some of Krauser's toys he's worked on perfecting through the years," Leon replied, raising his Blacktail to aim at the mechanical mechanisms. "From my experience, they're accurate and too deadly. Only one way of handling them."

Luis wasn't sure if he was okay with the way this was heading or not. "And that is?"

The laser dot rested on the mini robotic technology hidden mostly underneath the dirt. It's twin less seen as the only part of it seen was the blue light on its head, trying to detect the enemy.

"Leon?" Luis tried again, noticing how the agent stiffened in preparation in using his firearm. "Chris? Guys?"

Luis jerked when both men fired. His pant legs literally felt the wind as the passing bullets nearly connected with flesh instead of metal. He stumbled toward the so called protectors of human kind, looking at the small deadly robots kicking and jumping wildly as their systems began to go on the fritz from the bullets. Their blue lights turned red as a beeping sound filled the relatively silent area. Finally, the two four legged drones blew apart in small mini explosions. Bits of metal covered the area.

"Stay sharp. There's more around here that are even more deadly then these," Leon warned as he took the lead.

"You know, I'm really getting tired of being shot at," Luis muttered, getting a sympathetic pat on the arm from the lovely Claire Redfield.

Continuing on, each one of them heard the sound of a strange wind blowing. It almost sounded mechanical somehow, like some mini-jet nearby. At any rate, the others were more alert and on edge. Their more careful and paranoid nature proved to be a wise thing. For just around the next corner, a slight shift of the top layer of sand had everyone freezing in their tracks.

Giving Chris a silent signal, Leon edge carefully closer while his friend aimed at the area where their carefully hidden enemy lay in wait. When Leon was within at least three feet from its location, the little camera bomb robot lifted its round head, blue light turning red. Leon raised his hand for the go sign; unflinching as Chris fired. The robot didn't give a dying performance like its last two brethren. It exploded immediately with a puff of dirt and sand.

Taking another a couple steps forward, Leon became slightly more relaxed and declared this little bit of land was safe for the moment. Together, they proceeded until they neared the entrance to the final showdown that would soon be occurring.

"What is it you fight for, comrade?"

They looked up to see Krauser balancing perfectly on a crumbled wall.

Knowing that the question was directed to him, Leon answered truthfully, "My past, I suppose."

"Hmph. Umbrella."

The strange wind sound they heard earlier was back, this time making its presence known. A strange circular flying robot came hovering down, its camera blinking red when aligning them in its sights. Another ground-bot leaped from its hiding spot in the dirt and immediately back to charge forward, its red light blinking as the beeping sound was heard yet again. As they tried to get away form the ground danger, the threat in the air showed how lethal it could be by firing its automatic attached gun.

They managed to escape the bullet melee and even avoid the self destructing critter on the ground. But the hovering air robot wasn't finished as it proceeded to hunt down its prey. But in the end, it proved easy to destroy as it appeared around the corner. Once good shot with Chris's Riot gun was all it took.

"I think we should switch to heavier gunfire; don't you?"

The others were in totally agreement, the feeling that this game of hunting was coming to a close. Claire was handed Leon's TMP, which suited her just fine. Chris preferred to stick with his Riot gun since it was his most successful weapon of choice in defense and offense for himself. Leon had his Striker out, locked and loaded with plenty of ammo thanks to the Merchants last and final upgrade for the powerful weapon. One hundred shotgun shells in one weapon wasn't anything to sneer at. As for Luis, he had the Broken Butterfly and the Mine Thrower to choose from. Since the old unstable tower they were about to embark on seemed too small and not ready for anything that would cause major structural damage, he decided the magnum was the best choice. The problem was, he didn't have much ammo left. It was loaded to the max, but in his box of ammo was only two bullets left. Not very comforting.

"You know that you three can go back to the wall and wait for me. I hate to repeat myself, but this battle is between me and Jack. Not you guys."

"We know. And we respect your wishes. Really, we do... Now shut up, Martyr-Boy! We have to make sure this lackey of Wesker's doesn't pull another stunt in kidnapping innocent girls for world domination," Chris replied, pushing past the reluctant agent.

"Just so you know, I would happily let you deal with the Neanderthal on your own if it were up to me," Luis chirped up as he followed behind the others. Leon scowled at the Spaniard behind him as he and the others crossed the threshold.

Suddenly, bars slid shut, seperaiting Luis from the other three.

"Well, maybe my mistress Lady Luck is back on my side after all."

"Or maybe Krauser is picking off the weakest from the herd," Chris retorted.

Luis looked both offended and slightly uncomfortable at that statement. Either they were about to face the scarred, traitor, American face to face, or he was about to come in contact with death yet again.

"Either way, it looks like this is it. Krauser isn't about to let any chance of escaping, unless..."

"Unless he dies," Claire finished for Leon.

"Well, let's make sure he's the one who dies," Chris said as he gave Luis a nod before going up the winding stairs, Claire following closely behind.

"Leon, take this," Luis said as he pushed the heavy, powerful, Broken Butterfly through the bars. Leon looked started by the request. "It's been upgraded enough to hold ten bullets. It's fully loaded and ready for action. Here's the rest of the ammo. I know two bullets doesn't seem like much, but when you're in a corner and without it, well..."

"It's better having something then nothing... Thanks."

"Don't get mushy on me now, cop. Just take care of business and get the two remaining insignias," Luis said with his old charm. As the agent turned to go, the mysterious scientist had one tip left. "And Leon, watch out for that arm of his. The virus in his blood isn't the only thing that changed him."

He gave Luis a short look, as if trying to read all of his secrets. Then without another glance, he ran up the winding stairs, magnum in hand while the Striker was put away back in his case. If push came to shove and he ran out of bullets, then his knife would do nicely for what had to be done.

"You ready for this," Chris asked, looking up the ladder that will lead them to the final showdown.

"No, but I was thinking of winging it," Leon replied.

"Cute, Kennedy. Real cute," Chris retorted as he climbed up the ladder first.

"Wasn't trying to be."

"Enough with the witty quips, guys. It stopped being cute an hour ago."

All three on the roof of the circular tower, they could see the entire ruins and beyond from their viewpoint. It would have been beautiful if this was a tourist trip in Spain and not a rescue, survival, horror filled mission. Which is why the beauty and historical value of the scene wasn't even considered as they dogged on to find the elusive second insignia. But eventually, Leon cam across it to the west of the entrance where they came from. The Eagle Holy Beast puzzle piece was found, leaving one to go.

Sensing rather then actually hearing him, Leon and his two friends took a few steps and looked up to see Krauser standing high above them. In his hands is his modified TMP.

"Two down, one more to go, Krauser."

"Hmph. We'll see about that."

Tossing the TMP away, Krauser begins growling low in his throat as pain and a certain maniac glee took precedence on his face. He held up his right arm as the muscle beneath the skin began to ripple. In fact, the large biceps and tendons in the entire arm began to expand. The skin getting tighter and tighter till the very tissue that encased it ripped from the pressure. His hand morphed exaggerating into long sharp fingers, then the skin there ripped as well as something sharp broke through the wrist. The whole arm at this point began to mold with the bone like claw grew massive, soon arching and becoming sword like with its curves. The parasite and virus had indeed melded into something lethal and terrifying.

And with a burst of triumph, the arm and the jagged edges of the bone jutted out as Krauser spoke with conviction and complete intensity that resonated with passion and violence.

"Witness the power!"

With a look of disgust at the throbbing mutilation of what was once a good man's human arm, Leon replied, "You've lost it completely, Krauser."

"God, what the hell did you let these mad men do to you," Claire asked, refurring to Wesker and Saddler.

Looking down at the humans who would never understand or be capable of it, Jack responded the only way he could. Violence.

"Prepare for your deaths, human scum!"

Krauser leaped down with his sword like arm arched in anticipation of cleaving one of these pests in two. But his prey were quick and proving yet again it would take more then inhuman strength and speed to take them down. What they didn't know was that he had pressed the button on a wireless detonator that was linked to the dynamite he had placed all over the ancient ruins. Even if they managed to kill him and take the last insignia from his cold dead hands, they still had to beat the time on the clock. Either way, he won.

Meanwhile, down below, Luis is waiting patiently for the others return. There was no use going back to the gate they needed to unlock since he presumed they would be returning back through the way they came. Well, that's what he hoped for. Not that he didn't have faith in them, but Jack Krauser was something that even Saddler has never completely been able to control. It didn't take a genius that this seemingly American traitor didn't join the cult by chance or even by the lie he gave in order to join. No, somehow, Luis knew he was here for the sample. The same as the lady in red. If they were enemies or allies has yet to be determined in his mind.

"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here."

Luis raised his head, surprised to see Ada's beautiful face. He quickly stood up, unsure exactly what to do or say. Was running an option he should consider?

"What's the matter? Have I rendered that endearing wit of yours speechless for once?"

"No. Just... surprised to see a lady of your exotic and enticing looks in this part of town. You looking for a handsome bloke like myself to show you a good time?"

A quick but very much seen amused smile brightened her face for a moment. Then the mysterious hard to read face was back in place.

"I presume that means you haven't retrieved the sample back from Saddler."

Sighing, Luis gave a curt nod. "Kinda hard when at every corner death seems to be waiting for me. Besides, I have a feeling that you would rather have me retrieving it without a certain ex-cop and his friends catching me in the act."

"Oh yes, I do. Which means you will have to ditch this company at the first ample oppertinuity."

Her simple observation was more then it appeared. More like an order then a suggestion.

"I will. Once I help them extract the parasites, then I'll take my leave. I promise, I will get the sample."

"You better," she softly replied, leaning in and placing both hands on the collar of his shirt, as if straightening it. "The organization's success in ridding the world of these dangers is riding on your actions. If you were to fail..."

His collar was suddenly twisted tightly in her slender fingers.

"Well, it wouldn't end pretty for either of us. Understand?"

Luis wordlessly nodded his head.

"Good," Ada Wong replied, releasing him and taking a step back. She looked up at the sound of Chris's loud curse. "Leon and the gang fighting Krauser and that arm of his... I seriously hope they kill him soon."

Remembering the remark Krauser made when Ada stepped in at the right moment to save Leon's life, Luis replied, "Could it be because he knows more about you then you let on?"

Smiling at his intuitive reasoning, the spy simply turned around and said as she walked away, "Actually, it's because of the dynamite he has placed all over the ruins. Krauser likes to cover all his bases."

Luis looked up and all around, till he spotted some flashing lights up on the base of the ciruclar tower. Plenty of dynamite was there, which meant...

"He probably already pressed the trigger."

And with that, she was gone. Leaving a more frantic and panicked Luis then he was before she showed up.

The battle up above was intense. Krauser was fast and powerful, his arm adding more to his advantage. But what made him near impossible to kill was the way his arm sprout out these razor sharp shards of bone that protected him as a shield whenever they fired at him at close, blank range. There wasn't much strategy except to try and keep Krauser between the three of them, shooting from different angles. But when the intended target still had human cunning and superior strategy planning, the plan wasn't able to be put to much use.

The only weapon that seemed to have gotten some lucky shots in was the TMP. Claire was able to keep herself from being targeted much by the big hulk of a man, which was needed considering her injury. But that soon changed when Krauser performed a back-flip over Chris's head, managing to charge the surprise young woman by knocking the weapon from her grasp. The TMP clattered far down below, useless and out of reach.

His human hand wrapped around her neck, raising her high up in the air. For a second, her eyes flashed red, giving Krauser a pleasant surprise. The thought of taking the auburn haired Redfield with him just in case he couldn't retrieve the sample took root. Wesker would get his specimen and have his enemy's cherished little sister.

"Let go of her, you rat Basta-d!"

The blasts from the Riot gun had Krauser dropping his new hostage, taking the focus off of her for the moment. With a curl of his lip, Krauser sped forward with his thrusting forward. Chris ducked, then rolled as the arm slammed down in attempt again on his life. A sharp, annoying pain in his right shoulder had Krauser taking a step back while grabbing the hilt of the protruding knife. With a growl, he turned and threw it at Leon. He dodged it, the knife now wedged in the old stone of the tower.

"Stabbing other in the back was always your specialty," Krauswer huffed as he leaped in the air across the distance.

Leon rolled out of the way and tried sweeping his legs out from under him. Jack jumped as he tried, then slapped his super arm down. The agent rolled out of the way, and continued to do so as Krauser repeated his actions over and over again.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Leon managed to get back up on his feet to fend off his old friend's attacks. Chris came running up and attempted to blow the back of the super soldier's skull off. But Krauser was quick and much intuitive to his surroundings. He grabbed the barrel of the Riot gun and batted it down with his large deadly arm, pinning it as he punched Chris with his human but no less lethal hand.

"I'm talking about you telling our superiors exactly who was responsible for taking my arm on our last mission together!"

Leon lowered his magnum and shot at Krauser's left knee. With a grunt he knelt down, releasing Chris's gun and becoming exposed to both men. Both blasts from the weapons to his chest sending the large man several feet back near Claire. She had her handgun drawn out and shooting desperately in his body.

Krauser sprung back up, though less in speed then he usually did. Though the large gaping wounds in his chest was quickly at work repairing itself, Krauser had to take a deep breath or two to get back in the swing of things.

"I had to tell them! She was loaded with the T-Veronica virus. They had to know to save you from becoming another Umbrella tratedgy," Leon exclaimed as he and the others resumed firing. This time, he was in prime position to be hammered at all sides.

Getting tired at being shot from all angles, Krauser went berserk and went for the one he wanted to kill the most. Leon. The magnum was ready though and had him stumbling again. Coughing up tainted blood, Krauser looked up at the younger man and sneered.

"A little too late for that, Leon. But well worth the price."

With a howl of rage, he pushed his body to the limit with his arm raised. Leon then emptied all the rounds in the powerful gun, saving his life and the others in the process. Krauser groaned, his head lolling forward as his running steps slowed to a stop. His human hand clutched the gaping holes in his chest. Suddenly, a spray of blood spewed forth from his chest as his heart seemingly gave out. His eyes were wide with shock at his own demise. With one last howl of outrage and loss, Jack Krauser fell forward; unmoving.

Chris placed a hand on Leon's shoulder as they looked down at the still form.

"Krauser... What happened to you? You used to be a good guy...," Leon whispered. But he and the others already knew the answer to that. Umbrella.

"What? Luis, I can't hear you! Speak louder," Claire shouted down. Apparently, the anxious Spaniard has been trying to get their attention the past minute.

"Wander what's got Sera's panties in a twist now," Chris wandered aloud, sharing a grin with Leon.

"Aie-yie-yie! I SAID KRAUSER HAS THIS WHOLE PLACE RIGGED WITH EXPLOSIVES! WE'RE GOING TO BLOW UP WITH THESE RUINS IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE TO OPEN THE GATE!"

Nobody spoke for a second, freezing at the implications...

Then they all reacted as one. Leon searched the body, finding the last insignia while Chris and Claire ran up to the spot where they came in. Only now, it was closed. As if sensing their anxiousness, it slid open as the bars down below that led to the short cut to the gate unlocked. They quickly climbed down the metal ladder, spotting the short cut.

As the last one made it down from the short leap down, Luis rounded the corner to join them, panting heavily. Leon quickly placed the insignias in. Panther, Eagle, and snake. At first, the old stone slab did nothing. Luis was looking at his watch, eyes widening by the second. Though he didn't know how much time they had left, he presumed it wasn't long. But I do know how much time was left... They had exactly twenty seconds left!

Finally with a groan, the stone gate slid away to reveal the metal one. They now had less then ten seconds. Five, four, three, two-

The explosion was loud and intense, catching the attention of every living creature on the island. I'm sure you guys want to know if the heroes made it or not. If you have to ask, then I think you should stop reading because... OF COURSE THEY MADE IT! DUH! WHAT KIND OF AUTHOR KILLS THE MAIN CHARACTERS JUST WHEN THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET EVEN MORE INTENSE!

Yes, they made it. A bit rattled, tired, and aching from the none stop boss battles. But yeah, still in one piece.

**R**

Saddler smiled as he checked the vitals on Ashley. So far, she was making progress with no danger to her life. It would seem that the capsule was doing exactly as it was designed to. It was pleasing that at least one thing was going as planned. That and the silence that now reigned. The red haired American teenager was quiet and unmoving on the flat, sterile hospital bed nearby. Like with the capsule, his own way of nurturing the queen parasite inside was working so far. In about fifteen minutes, if she was awake or not, he would again resume with his procedure.

As I said, everything in his world seemed to be going more smoothely. Even when one of his loyal Ganado soldiers came in to report the death of Krauser, it didn't affect his mood. Not when that very same man represented a whole new set of problems different then the American agent and his nosey friends.

Taking out his radio, he contacted his enemy without delay.

SADDLER_: So, it seems you killed Krauser too. How should I return the appreciation?_

Leon's face on the small monitor brought a smug smile to his own. Though unknowing that Leon and the others knew a little bit more then he did on exactly who Krauser was working for.

LEON_: Wha- What are you talking about? I thought he was with you._

Saddler chuckled.

SADDLER_: What are **you** talking about? Did you really think I'd trust an American? To tell you the truth, I was contemplating how to get rid of him. But thanks to you and your friends, that's no longer necessary._

LEON_: You were just using him right from the start._

SADDLER_: Oh, I must hand it to you... You've demonstrated a bit of promise by killing Krauser. When your assimilation with Las Plagas is complete, I'll have you and the young woman serve as my guard. _

LEON_: Unfortunately, me and my friend will have to decline your generous offer. We have prior engagements._

Saddler's lips tightened into a thin line.

SADDLER_: Hmph. Enjoy your smart mouthing while you still can._

He cut the connection, tired of exchanging words with the irking agent. His pale eyes settled on the soldier Ganado.

"Our guests are on their way. I hope you have the welcoming party ready?"

The soldier nodded eagerly, proclaiming that there was no way that the infidels will be getting past the army waiting for them. Saddler wasn't believing that for a second. Somehow, these pests have managed to survive everything that he has had thrown at them. Even that traitor Luis managed to elude death. Until he could see for himself their grisly death, the leader of the cult would remain wary and prepared to change courses if the need arises.

* * *

**A/N: **Done. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I have writing the chapter. If anyone is wandering, I still made the battle with Krauser more Leon focused. Considering that they have a history together, it seemed fitting to keep Leon as Krauser's main target. As for Jack being out of the picture yet; if you played Separate Ways on the Resident Evil 4 game, then you know there's still a little bit more life in him.

Okay, you know the drill. Review, then go to the poll and vote for which theory you want to win. So far, I have a tie. Keep voting if you haven't already. Remember, you get four choices. Oh, and another thing. I do have something else that you fans can decide. It's about Mike, the helpful helicopter pilot that gets blows to smithereens in the next coming part. Would you guys like him to survive, or to die? Keep in mind that if he lives, he will be having a vital role with another Res character that will be making an appearance in the later chapters ahead! I won't be putting up a poll for that one. Just leave a yes or no review on the Mike question. Okay? Okay!


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